The Political Content of Trade Association--An Exploration on Chambers of Commerce in Wenzhou in Terms of Political Legitimacy
行业组织的政治蕴涵——对温州商会的政治合法性考察

Political legitimacy, as a unique requirement on civil associations in China, roots in the consideration of its own legitimacy from the government and of ensuring the loyalty of social associations to the ruling system. With some important characteristics of self-governance, chambers of commerce in Wenzhou are known as True Civil Trade Associations. But they still have to achieve the political legitimacy by ways of constituting organizations of CCP at bottom level, entering into the political system and so on. The direct negative effect of such political legitimacy lies in the fact that it restricts the potential of civil associations to strengthen their power and expand their scale; and it also reduces the probability for social associations to supervise the government. Chambers of commerce in Wenzhou need to continue the development of their talents, provide more collective goods for enterprises in their trades and enlarge their influence in society. The government ought to realize that the restriction on the state power benefits the government itself; cooperation between civil associations and the government serves to consolidate the legitimacy of the government system. The long existence of the requirement for political legitimacy means that chambers of commerce in Wenzhou and other trade associations can only adhere to the road of corporatism. In China, social associations can only survive and become the base of civil society through the cooperation with the government. The development of private economy and the restriction on government's interference by legislation are necessary conditions to ensure the path from corporatism to proper governance.