CO129-619-1 Parliamentary delegation to China 1-9-1947 - 23-12-1947 — Page 98

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State and the members of which will be elected by the

people for a term of three years. The constitution

also specifies the matters to be legislated upon and

executed by the Central Government and the Provincial

and Hsien Governments respectively. Local self

government in Provincos and Hsiens (districts) is to

bo instituted, the Hsien magistrate in particular to

be elected by the people and not appointed by the

Central Government as at present. One Chapter of the

new constitution lays down fundamental national

policies regarding national defence, foreign policy,

national economy, social security, education and the

border territories.

12. The Constitution, follows the principles

enunciated by Dr. Sun Yat-sen, that is to say, it is the

so-called Five-Power Constitution which, according to

his writings, preserves the best of the traditional

Chinese imperial system with the addition of the best

of Western democratic theories. The Five Powers are

constituted by the Legislative Yuan, corresponding

roughly to the British House of Commons, the Executive

Yuan, corresponding generally to the British Cabinet,

the Judicial Yuan, corresponding to the United States

Supreme Court, the Examination Yuan, corresponding to

the British Civil Service Commission and continuing

the ancient Chinese tradition of a highly-educated

civil service, and the Control Yuan - whose main

functions, similar to those formerly vested in the

imperial power, are the supervision and, if necessary,

the upeachment of public functionaries.

/13.

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