...to that in American corporate life between headquarters and regional offices. The "center" includes the State Council and its commissions, ministries,...Politburo, Secretariat, and the organs of the Central Committee.6 The "locales" consist of the provinces but also include lower level units. Chinese officials...

...administrative units at the subprovincial level, such as municipalities or counties. Regions refers to groupings of several provinces sharing similar...Secretariat, and the organs of the Central Committee." This is used interchangeably with the central government for the sake of simplicity. See Kenneth Lieberthal...