At the next higher level?

Does "at the next higher level" mean "a level directly under the local leader"?

Context:

e politics of the People's Republic of China takes place in a framework of a http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialist_state http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single-party_state, the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communist_Party_of_China. The leadership^[ambiguous] of the Communist Party is stated in the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China. State power within the People's Republic of China (PRC) is exercised through the Communist Party, the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_People%27s_Government and their provincial and local representation. Under the dual leadership system, each local Bureau or office is under the coequal authority of the local leader and the leader of the corresponding office, bureau or ministry at the next higher level. People's Congress members at the county level are elected by voters. These county level People's Congresses have the responsibility of oversight of local government, and elect members to the Provincial (or Municipal in the case of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct-controlled_municipality) People's Congress. The Provincial People's Congress in turn elects members to the National People's Congress that meets each year in March in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beijing.^{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_of_China#cite_note-1} The ruling Communist Party committee at each level plays a large role in the selection of appropriate candidates for election to the local congress and to the higher levels.