Central Advisory Commission

The Central Advisory Commission was a body of the Chinese Communist Party that existed during the era of the paramount leadership of Deng Xiaoping. The body was supposed to provide "political assistance and consultation" to the CCP Central Committee of the [Chinese Communist Party|Central Committee]; however, as the CAC was a select group of senior CCP leadership, it was often seen as having more authority unofficially than that body.

History

The commission was established after the 12th [National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party] in 1982, and abolished in 1992. Its chairmen were Deng Xiaoping and Chen Yun. Its membership was offered only to members of the Central Committee with forty years or more of service which made it an important forum for the Eight Elders to remain formally involved in politics. Directors and deputy directors were required to have first served in the Politburo or Politburo [Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party|Politburo Standing Committee]. Despite being supposedly advisory its power surpassed that of the Politburo Standing Committee and was nicknamed the "Sitting Committee" on account of the advanced age of its members.

Commentary

According to Yasheng Huang, the CAC served as a restraint on the leadership at the time by the Eight Elders and was, as an institution, "best positioned to check and balance a future dictator." Huang stated that its abolition paved the way for the rise of current CCP general secretary Xi Jinping.