This article provides a comprehensive analysis of conceptual distinctions between administrative management and state governance in the context of transformation of the Chinese system of power. The study justifies its relevance through the prism of a paradigmatic shift in the philosophy of power, reflected in the semantic transition from 行政管理 (xíng zhèng guǎn lǐ) to 国家治理 (guó jiā zhì lǐ). The research methodology is based on historical-genetic and comparative analysis of Western theories of public administration (traditional administration, NPM, NPS, Good Governance) and their Chinese reception. The results reveal fundamental ontological divergences between Western liberal-democratic conceptions and the Chinese approach to governance modernization under the leadership of the Communist Party of China. Key parameters of transformation are identified: the expansion of governance actors, diversification of regulatory methods, and shifts in efficiency criteria and foundations of legitimacy. The conclusion underscores the distinctiveness of China’s trajectory, which represents an approach to governance modernization characterized by Chinese specificity and driven by technological and managerial innovations.

The aim of the paper is to develop methodological approaches to the formation of a multi-level system of public administration for sustainable development on the example of Russia and China. The proposed approaches include: general characteristics of the sustainable development management system (subject, object, forms, principles, methods, result), formalization of project selection, principles for identifying project relationships, tools for pri- oritizing projects, a model for monitoring program performance. Multilevel implies integration not only at the national, mezzo and micro levels, but also at the supranational level — the participation of the United Nations and other international organizations, the implementation of joint projects, primarily with friendly countries. Developed on the example of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) No. 13 “Taking urgent measures to combat climate change and its con- sequences”, the network management model allows formalizing the choice of projects constituting the program, principles and approaches to identifying the interconnection of projects, tools for prioritizing projects, and can be extrapo- lated to other SDGs with high network ranks (the degree of mutual influence on other SDGs). To assess the quality of public administration for sustainable development, the following indicators are proposed: the complexity of national programs and the quality of goal setting, adaptability and flexibility of state institutions in implementing sustainable development goals; business involve- ment in the transition to sustainable development; efficiency and effectiveness of the management system; compliance of legislation and law enforcement with sustainable development objectives; the level of achievement of planned results by the managed system; the degree of publicity when assessment of sustainable projects. Such a set of indicators makes it possible to integrate the assessment of the managed and the management system, to highlight the role of the manage- ment system in the results achieved by the managed system.