The vice premiers of the State Council of the People's Republic of China serves as a deputy leader within the
State Council. In terms of administrative hierarchy, the Vice Premier holds a position superior to that of
ministers, commission directors, and the
Secretary-General of the State Council, while remaining subordinate to the Premier and holding a rank equivalent to that of
State Councilors.
Generally, the title is held by multiple individuals at any given time, with each vice-premier holding a broad portfolio of responsibilities. The first vice-premier takes over duties of the premier at the time of the latter's incapacity. The incumbent vice premiers, in order of rank, are
Ding Xuexiang
Ding Xuexiang (born 13 September 1962) is a Chinese politician who is currently the first-ranked vice premier of China and the sixth-ranked member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party.
Considered a close confidan ...
,
He Lifeng
He Lifeng (; born February 1955) is a Chinese economist and politician who has served as vice premier of China since March 2023. He has additionally been a member of the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) since October 2022, and ser ...
,
Zhang Guoqing and
Liu Guozhong.
The highest-ranked office holder is informally called the Senior Vice Premier or First Vice Premier () or Executive Vice Premier (), a most prominent case being
Deng Xiaoping
Deng Xiaoping also Romanization of Chinese, romanised as Teng Hsiao-p'ing; born Xiansheng (). (22 August 190419 February 1997) was a Chinese statesman, revolutionary, and political theorist who served as the paramount leader of the People's R ...
in the mid-to-late 1970s.
In irregular instances, the position of a senior vice premier has been named either to indicate degree of power, nominal power, or when the premier is incapacitated and requires a full-time deputy to carry out his regular duties.
Selection
Officially, the vice premiers are appointed by the
National People's Congress
The National People's Congress (NPC) is the highest organ of state power of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The NPC is the only branch of government in China, and per the principle of unified power, all state organs from the Sta ...
(NPC) upon the nomination of the premier.
The NPC also has the power to remove the vice premiers and other state officers from office. Elections and removals are decided by majority vote.
In practice, the vice premiers are chosen within the
Chinese Communist Party
The Communist Party of China (CPC), also translated into English as Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Founded in 1921, the CCP emerged victorious in the ...
(CCP) leadership, including the Politburo Standing Committee.
The length of the vice premier's term of office is the same as the NPC, which is 5 years, and the vice premiers are restricted to two consecutive terms.
Immediately after the election, the
president
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film and television
*'' Præsident ...
signs the presidential order formalizing the appointment of the vice premiers. Since 2018, the vice premiers are required to collectively
recite the
constitutional oath of office before assuming office.
Powers and authority
Vice premiers are the deputies to the premier, with each vice premier overseeing a certain area of administration. Vice premiers are members of the executive meetings of the State Council, along with the premier,
secretary-general
Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, Power (social and political), power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the org ...
and
state councillors.
Additionally, all vice premiers have been members of the
Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party
The Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party, officially the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, is the executive committee of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party.
Currently, the bureau i ...
in recent decades, with the first-ranked vice premier being a member of the
Politburo Standing Committee
The Politburo Standing Committee (PSC), officially the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, is a committee consisting of the top leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) an ...
.
Current vice premiers
See also
*
Orders of precedence in China
References
{{People's Republic of China politics
Deputy national-level official
Premier of the People's Republic of China
The premier of China, officially the Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, is the head of government of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and leader of the State Council. This post was established in 1911 near the e ...
1954 establishments in China