Unlike in other political systems, the eight non-communist parties in China are not opposition parties, but rather participants in the administration of state affairs, said a senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on June 29.

Zhang Xiansheng, a spokesman for the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee, said at a press conference these parties are friends of the CPC.

According to Zhang, these parties have approximately 840,000 members, compared to around 10,000 in 1949 and more than 60,000 in the late 1970s.

The country's current political system of multi-party cooperation has "wide coverage," Zhang said, adding "besides the existing parties, it is unnecessary to establish new parties," as the nine have basically covered all circles.