China needs the strong, unified leadership of the Communist Party or the country will "crumble," the government said in a policy paper released on Friday ahead of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic.
China's cabinet news office said in a white paper that the country's success since the Communists took power 70 years ago was down to the party's leadership.
"China is huge in size, has complex national conditions, and its governance difficulties are rarely seen.