How are delegates to higher-level People’s Congresses selected in China?

In the Chinese political system, the selection of delegates to People’s Congresses follows a tiered structure. While citizens aged 18 and older participate in direct popular suffrage to elect members to People’s Congresses at the county level, this process changes for higher-level bodies.1

For all levels above the county, delegates are not directly elected by the public. Instead, delegates at each specific level of the National People’s Congress hierarchy are responsible for electing the representatives who will serve at the next higher level.1

It is important to note that while the constitution outlines this formal framework, actual decision-making authority in China resides primarily within the state’s executive organs and the Chinese Communist Party, rather than the congresses themselves.1