Rotation in the civil service of the people’s Republic of China: issues of organizational and legal support

This article is dedicated to analyzing the features of the organization and legal support of rotation in the civil service of the People’s Republic of China. Based on the analysis, the authors summarize the following characteristics of rotation in China’s civil service: a) it applies to both managerial and non-managerial civil service positions, including positions in higher education institutions, state-owned enterprises, and party positions, which in China are considered part of the civil service; b) the purpose of rotation is to establish a professional, efficient, and integrity-driven civil service system, with its objectives including the enhancement of civil servants’ qualifications, the acquisition of practical experience in a different sector and/or region, the development of necessary practical skills, the prevention of corrupt connections among civil servants, and more; c) the rotation mechanism is not limited to specific directions, but statistical data indicate that its primary areas of application are personnel management, finance, and budgetary fields; d) the modern rotation model in China includes both indefinite and fixed-term formats (involving either assignment to a new position or return to the previous one); e) rotation in China is mandatory and ensured by legislative norms; f) as a result of rotation, civil servants acquire new practical skills and «soft skills» that may be beneficial for their future careers, while also strengthening cooperation between government bodies and improving the professional competence of civil servants. The article concludes by identifying forms of rotation in the civil service of the People’s Republic of China, distinguishing the following: a) planned rotation, which takes place according to a schedule based on available vacancies and is coordinated between government agencies; b) exchange, which consists of two types – transfer and reassignment. Transfer implies that the civil servant works in another government body, state-owned enterprise, higher education institution or government body structural subdivision, while reassignment implies that the civil servant occupies the same position within the same government body or state-owned enterprise, but in another region.