Order of precedence in China

Relative preeminence of officials for ceremonial purposes

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Politics of China

Leadership

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Succession of power

* Hu–Wen Administration (2002-2012)
* Xi–Li Administration (2012-2017)
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* 4th Leadership Core: Xi Jinping
* 20th Party Politburo: Xi Jinping
* 14th State Council: Li Qiang
* Current state leaders
* Current provincial leaders

Party and state leaders
Orders of precedence

* Paramount leader: Xi Jinping

First lady: Peng Liyuan

* Communist Party leader: Xi Jinping
* State representative: Xi Jinping
* Head of government: Li Qiang
* Congress Chairman: Zhao Leji
* Conference Chairman: Wang Huning
* Commander-in-chief: Xi Jinping
* Politburo Standing Committee longest-serving members

Related systems

* Unified power
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* Organization Department
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* Constitution

Previous constitutions

* 1954
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* Freedom of religion (Article 36)
* Highest state organ of power (Article 57)

* * *

* Chinese legal system
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* Laws
* Legislation Law
* List of statutes

* * *

* General Principles of the Civil Law (to 2020)
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* * *

* Administrative law
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Communist Party

History

* Principal leaders

Constitution & ideology

*     * Admission Oath (Article 6)
* Socialism with Chinese characteristics

* Communism
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Primary stage of socialism
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Harmonious Socialist Society

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Chinese Dream
Four Comprehensives
Two Establishes and Two Safeguards
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Organization

*     * National Party Congress (20th)
* Central Committee (20th)

General Secretary (list)

Xi Jinping
* Central Politburo (20th)

Standing Committee (20th)

* Central Secretariat (20th)
* Central Military Commission

Chairman: Xi Jinping

Vice Chairmen:

Zhang Youxia, He Weidong
* National Security Commission

Chairman: Xi Jinping

Vice-Chairman:

Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Cai Qi

Office Chief: Cai Qi

* Comprehensively Deepening Reforms Commission

Director: Xi Jinping

Deputy Directors:

Li Qiang, Wang Huning, Cai Qi

Secretary-General: Wang Huning

* Financial & Economic Affairs Commission

Director: Xi Jinping

Deputy Director: Li Qiang

Office Chief: He Lifeng

* General Office

Director: Cai Qi
* Office of the General Secretary

Chief: Cai Qi
* Central Guard Bureau
* Central Guard Unit
* Office of the Central Secrecy Commission
* Organization Department

Head: Li Ganjie
* Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (20th)
* Standing Committee (20th)

Secretary: Li Xi
* Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Central Military Commission

Secretary: Zhang Shengmin
* Central Leading Group for Inspection Work

Leader: Li Xi

* * *

* Provincial committee
* Standing committee

Secretary
Deputy secretaries
* Party group

National People's Congress (14th)

* Elections
* Standing Committee (14th)
* Council of Chairpersons

Chairman: Zhao Leji

Vice-Chairpersons

Top-ranked: Li Hongzhong
Secretary-General: Liu Qi
* Special Committees
1. Ethnic Affairs
2. Constitution and Law
3. Supervisory and Judicial Affairs
4. Financial and Economic Affairs
5. Education, Science, Culture and Public Health
6. Foreign Affairs
7. Overseas Chinese Affairs
8. Environmental Protection and Resources Conservation
9. Agriculture and Rural Affairs
10. Social Development Affairs
* Presidium

State representative

*     * President (list): Xi Jinping

* Presidential Office

Chief: Cai Qi
* Vice President: Han Zheng

Executive organ

*     * State Council (Central People's Government)
* Li Qiang Cabinet

Premier (list): Li Qiang

Vice-Premiers (list)

* Ding Xuexiang
* He Lifeng
* Zhang Guoqing
* Liu Guozhong

State Councilors

* Wang Xiaohong
* Wu Zhenglong
* Shen Yiqin

Secretary-General: Wu Zhenglong

* Cabinet-level departments
* National Development & Reform Commission
* Central bank
* National Audit Office
* General Office

Secretary-General
Deputy Secretaries-General
* State-owned Assets Supervision & Administration Commission
* most Central Enterprises

Military organ

*     * Central Military Commission (CMC)

Chairman (supreme commander):

Xi Jinping
Vice Chairmen:

* Zhang Youxia
* He Weidong

Members:

* Liu Zhenli
* Miao Hua
* Zhang Shengmin

Departments:
1. General Office

Director: Zhong Shaojun
2. Joint Staff Dept.

Chief: Liu Zhenli
3. Political Work Dept.

Director: Miao Hua
4. Logistic Support Dept.

Director: Zhang Lin
5. Equipment Development Dept.

Director: Xu Xueqiang
6. Training and Administration Dept.

Director: Wang Peng
7. National Defense Mobilization Dept.

Director: Liu Faqing
8. Discipline Inspection Commission

Secretary: Zhang Shengmin
9. Politics and Legal Affairs Commission
10. Science and Technology Commission
11. Strategic Planning Office
12. Reform & Organizational Structure Office
13. Int'l Military Cooperation Office
14. Audit Office
15. Offices Administration Agency
National armed forces:

People's Liberation Army

Theater commands
People's Armed Police

China Coast Guard
Militia
* State Council

National Defense Mobilization Commission

Chairman: Li Qiang

Ministry of National Defense

Minister: Dong Jun

Ministry of Veterans Affairs
State Administration for Sci., Tech. & Industry for National Defense

Military history
* Armed conflicts
* Military modernization
* Military reform since 2015
* CMC Leading Group for Military Reform

Leader: Xi Jinping

Supervisory organ

*     * National Supervisory Commission

Director: Liu Jinguo

* * *

* Corruption in China
* Anti-corruption campaign since 2012

* * *

* Independent Commission Against Corruption (Hong Kong)

* * *

* Commission Against Corruption (Macau)

Judicial organs

*     * Supreme People's Court

President: Zhang Jun

People's Courts Judicial Police
* Supreme People's Procuratorate

Procurator-General: Ying Yong

People's Procuratorates Judicial Police

* * *

* Judiciary of Hong Kong
* Court of Final Appeal
* Department of Justice
* Prosecutions Division
* Law enforcement in Hong Kong
* Disciplined Services
* Security Bureau
* Hong Kong Police Force

* * *

* Judiciary of Macau
* Court of Final Appeal
* Public Prosecutions Office
* Secretariat for Security
* Macau Security Force
* Unitary Police Services [zh]
* Public Security Police
* Judiciary Police [zh]

United front

* Political Consultative Conference
* National Committee

Chairman: Wang Huning

Vice-Chairpersons

Top-ranked: Shi Taifeng
Secretary-General: Wang Dongfeng
* Political parties:

CCP (ruling)

United Front Work Department

Head: Shi Taifeng

* RCCK
* CDL
* CNDCA
* CAPD
* CPWDP
* CZGP
* JS
* TDSL

Historical parties:

* KMT
* CDSP
* YCP

* Federation of Industry and Commerce
* People's organizations

* Law enforcement

* CCP Central Politics and Law Commission

Secretary: Chen Wenqing

* Ministry of Public Security

Minister: Wang Xiaohong

Public Security Organs People's Police
* State Immigration Administration
* Local public security bureaus
* Ministry of State Security

Minister: Chen Yixin

State Security Organs People's Police
* Ministry of Justice

Minister: He Rong

Judicial Administrative Organs People's Police
* Bureau of Prison Administration [zh]
* Office for Safeguarding National Security

* * *

* Urban Management (chengguan)

Propaganda

* Central Leading Group for Propaganda, Ideology and Culture

Leader: Cai Qi

Deputy Leaders: Li Shulei, Shen Yiqin

* Central Guidance Commission on Building Spiritual Civilization

Director: Cai Qi

Deputy Director: Li Shulei

* Publicity Department of the Chinese Communist Party

Head: Li Shulei

* General Administration of Press and Publication
* China Film Administration
* State Council Information Office
* China Daily
* Ministry of Culture and Tourism
* National Radio and Television Administration
* China Media Group
* China Central Television
* China Global Television Network
* China National Radio
* China Radio International
* Xinhua News Agency
* Reference News
* China News Service
* People's Daily
* Global Times
* China Today

* * *

* Censorship in China
* Radio jamming
* Overseas censorship of Chinese issues
* Media of China
* Internal media
* Publishing industry in China

* * *

* Internet in China
* Internet censorship
* Great Firewall
* Great Cannon
* Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission

Director: Cai Qi

* Cyberspace Administration of China

Director: Zhuang Rongwen

* Hong Kong
* Macau

* Central Leading Group on Hong Kong and Macau Affairs

Leader: Ding Xuexiang
* HK & Macau Affairs Office

Director: Xia Baolong
* Hong Kong Liaison Office
* Macau Liaison Office
* One country, two systems
* Special administrative regions

* * *

* Hong Kong Basic Law
* Chief Executive: John Lee Ka-chiu
* Hong Kong SAR Government
* Politics of Hong Kong
* Pro-Beijing camp
* Pro-democracy camp
* Independence movement
* Mainland & HK CEPA

* * *

* Macao Basic Law
* Chief Executive: Ho Iat-seng
* Macau SAR Government
* Politics of Macau
* Mainland & Macau CEPA

Cross-Strait relations

* Cross-Strait relations
* Chinese Civil War
* One China
* Political status of Taiwan
* Republic of China on Taiwan
* Taiwan Area
* "Taiwan Province", PRC
* Taiwan independence movement
* Anti-Secession Law
* Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement
* Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement
* Chinese unification

* * *

* Central Leading Group for Taiwan Affairs

Leader: Xi Jinping
Deputy Leader: Wang Huning
* Taiwan Affairs Office

Director: Song Tao
* Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits

Foreign relations

* Central Foreign Affairs Commission

Director: Xi Jinping
Deputy Director: Li Qiang
Secretary-General: Wang Yi
* Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Minister: Wang Yi
Spokespersons
Diplomatic missions

* * *

* Diplomatic missions of China / in China

* * *

* Foreign aid from China / to China
* International Development Cooperation Agency
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* Exim Bank of China
* China Development Bank
* Belt and Road Initiative
* Silk Road Fund
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* BRICS
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* * *

* Ministry of National Defense
* International Military Cooperation Office

* * *

* NPC Foreign Affairs Committee
* CCP International Department
* State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs
* Overseas Chinese Affairs Office

* * *

* Chinese nationality law
* Chinese passports (Hong Kong; Macau)
* Visa requirements for Chinese citizens (Hong Kong, Macau)
* Visa policy of China (Hong Kong; Macau)
* National Immigration Administration

* * *

* Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence
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* * *

* China and the United Nations
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The orders of precedence in China is the ranking of political leaders in China for the purposes of event protocol and to arrange the ordering of names in official news bulletins, both written and televised. It is also sometimes used to assess perceived level of political power. Although there is no formally published ranking, there is usually an established convention and protocol, and the relative positions of Chinese political figures can usually be deduced from the order in meetings and especially by the time and order in which figures are covered by the official media. Since 1982, the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party has been the highest-ranking official in the People's Republic of China (PRC).

Depending on the person and the time period, the hierarchy will vary accordingly. Since the 1980s, Chinese political positions have become increasingly institutionalized. However, part of the power Chinese leaders carry still derives from who they are, rather than what position they hold.

Individuals can hold multiple top leadership titles but also be unable to claim to be the de facto head as was the case with Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party Hua Guofeng, when "paramount leader" Deng Xiaoping was present. The traditional ranking system was based upon the hierarchical line of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party. The names on this list includes all those officially considered party and state leaders.

## Order of precedence

[edit]

### Applications of protocol

[edit]

The Order of Precedence has gradually become normalized as the institutions of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the People's Republic became more established and stable. Internal publications and official media adhere to strict ranking protocol when reporting news items or public announcements that involve multiple leaders. Similarly, the order is strictly adhered to when seating leaders at official meetings and functions.

Often, state media news programs, such as Xinwen Lianbo, overlook the actual importance of the story attached to each leader. Rather the news order is determined by political ranking alone. For instance, if a higher-ranked leader is chairing a routine meeting, while a lower-ranked leader is visiting an earthquake disaster zone, the routine meeting will take precedence over the disaster in the order that they are reported.

Protocol ordering of leaders is perhaps most visible at large gatherings of party and state leaders, such as Party Congresses, National People's Congresses, the funeral or memorial service of former leaders, or major anniversary celebrations.

The current order of precedence applies to party, state, and military leaders. It generally follows an order set out by the institutions to which these leaders belong; further ranking of individual leaders are applied within each of the institutions. Where an individual belongs to numerous party and state institutions, they are usually only mentioned on first instance for their highest-ranking post. Since China is a single-party communist state, the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party is generally considered to hold the highest position in the political system.

### Order of institutions

[edit]

The organs of the party, state, and military, have a generally applied rank order, as follows:

1. Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party
1. Politburo
1. Standing Committee of the Politburo
2. Central Secretariat
2. Highest state power and legislative organ: National People's Congress (NPC)
1. Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPCSC)
3. Presidency (as a state organ)
4. Highest executive organ: State Council
5. Top-level united front organisation:

National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC)
6. Highest military organ: Central Military Commission (CMC), "one institution bearing two names":
1. The CMC of the Chinese Communist Party
2. The CMC of the People's Republic of China
7. Highest supervisory organs (two institutions sharing one office):
1. Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI)
2. National Supervisory Commission of the People's Republic of China (NSC)
8. Highest judicial organs:
1. Supreme People's Court (SPC)
2. Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP)

### Order of leaders

[edit]

#### Order of names in official news

[edit]

1. Current members of the CCP Politburo Standing Committee, normally including:
1. General Secretary of the CCP Central Committee
2. President of the People's Republic of China
3. Premier of the State Council
4. Chairperson of the NPC Standing Committee
5. Chairperson of the CPPCC National Committee
6. Chairman of the Central Military Commission
7. Other members of the Politburo Standing Committee, normally including:
* First-ranked Secretary of the CCP Central Secretariat
* Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection
* First-ranked Vice Premier of the State Council
2. Vice President
3. Other current members of the Politburo, normally including:
* Vice Premiers of the State Council
* Vice Chairmen of the Central Military Commission
4. Former General Secretary of the CCP Central Committee
5. Former members of the Central Politburo Standing Committee
6. Current Members of the CCP Central Secretariat
7. Vice Chairpersons of the NPC Standing Committee
8. State Councilors
9. Director of the National Supervisory Commission
10. President of the Supreme People's Court
11. Procurator-General of the Supreme People's Procuratorate
12. Vice Chairpersons of the CPPCC National Committee, at the bottom of the list of the current national-level "Leaders of the Party and the State" (党和国家领导人)
13. Retired "Leaders of the Party and the State", except former members of the Politburo Standing Committee, ranked by the highest office they held, repeating the same order above.
14. Central Military Commission members except chairpersons and vice chairpersons are not considered national-level "Leaders of the Party and State" but merely leaders of the People's Liberation Army, and generally listed separately by protocol.
1. Current CMC members (except chairmen and vice-chairmen)
2. Former CMC members (except chairmen and vice-chairmen)
15. Provincial-ministerial level officials

#### Order of seats

[edit]

1. Current General Secretary of the CCP Central Committee
2. Former General Secretary of the CCP Central Committee
3. Current members of the CCP Politburo Standing Committee except General Secretary, normally including:
1. President of the People's Republic of China
2. Premier of the State Council
3. Chairperson of the NPC Standing Committee
4. Chairperson of the CPPCC National Committee
5. Chairman of the Central Military Commission
6. Other members of the Politburo Standing Committee, normally including:
* First-ranked Secretary of the CCP Central Secretariat
* Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection
* First-ranked Vice Premier of the State Council
4. Vice President
5. Former members of the Politburo Standing Committee
6. Other current members of the Politburo, normally including:
* Vice Premiers of the State Council
* Vice Chairmen of the Central Military Commission
7. Current Members of the CCP Central Secretariat
8. Vice Chairpersons of the National People's Congress Standing Committee
9. State Councilors
10. Director of the National Supervisory Commission
11. Presidents of the Supreme People's Court
12. Procurators-General of the Supreme People's Procuratorate
13. Vice Chairpersons of the CPPCC National Committee, at the bottom of the list of the current national-level "Leaders of the Party and the State" (党和国家领导人)
14. Retired "Leaders of the Party and the State", except former members of the Politburo Standing Committee, ranked by the highest office they held, repeating the same order above.
15. Central Military Commission members except chairpersons and vice-chairpersons are not considered national-level "Leaders of the Party and State" but merely leaders of the People's Liberation Army.
1. Current CMC members (except chairmen and vice-chairmen)
2. Former CMC members (except chairmen and vice-chairmen)
16. Provincial-ministerial level officials

NB:

* The ranking of a Vice President of the PRC is normally based on whether he is a current or former Politburo Standing Committee member or other member of the Politburo. Press coverage of the March 2018 National People's Congress ranked the new Vice President Wang Qishan immediately after the Standing Committee, from which he recently retired.

### National Leaders

[edit]

For a more comprehensive list, see List of national leaders of the People's Republic of China.

National leaders are ranked based on the offices they hold, their seniority, or sometimes simply their perceived personal prestige. During the Mao years, ranking of leaders was fairly arbitrary. For instance, during the Cultural Revolution, Mao himself dictated the exact protocol sequence depending on who was held in favour at the time.[a]

Since 1982, rankings gradually stabilized and more consistent patterns could be observed. For instance, the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party always ranked first in the protocol sequence. This is despite the fact that some General Secretaries were not the pre-eminent political leaders. For example, General Secretaries Hu Yaobang and Zhao Ziyang (both ranked first) were, in practice, subordinate to "paramount leader" Deng Xiaoping, who was ranked behind them in protocol. Deng at the time served as Chairman of the Central Military Commission and was ranked second overall in the leadership hierarchy.

The President is a largely ceremonial post, but it is typically ranked immediately after the General Secretary and before other offices of the state.[b] When the President and General Secretary are two different people (prior to 1993, and in brief interregnums in 2003 and 2013), the President is ranked second to the General Secretary. Between 1982 and 1987, the President ranked after the Premier.[c]

After the President, the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, the Premier, and the Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference follow; this ordering seems to supersede the Standing Committee order when officeholders are not themselves part of the Standing Committee, although typically since 1993 the heads of the "four national bodies" are concurrently members of the Standing Committee. Between 1997 and 2002, NPC Chair Li Peng was ranked second. During the same period, the Premier, Zhu Rongji, as head of government, was ranked third. The Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) was ranked fourth. This ordering remained consistent between 2002 and 2012, when NPC Chair Wu Bangguo ranked above Premier Wen Jiabao. However, in 2013, this ordering changed. The Premier, Li Keqiang, was ranked 2nd, immediately after the General Secretary, and in front of the NPC Chairman Zhang Dejiang.

The Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, colloquially called the Zhengzhiju Changweihui in Chinese, is the apex of political power in China. Its members (Zhengzhiju Changwei) are strictly ranked. The heads of the four national bodies typically occupy the top four ranking spots of the Standing Committee. The other members of the Standing Committee are ranked immediately after them. The rankings of the remaining Standing Committee members are determined by a combination of the offices they hold and their seniority. For example, Li Changchun served as a Standing Committee member with no strictly defined office between 2002 and 2012; between 2002 and 2007, he was ranked eighth in protocol sequence, but in 2007, having now served one term on the body, his rank rose to fifth, immediately after CPPCC chair Jia Qinglin and in front of putative successor and executive secretary of the Secretariat Xi Jinping.

The current ranking of the Politburo Standing Committee is as follows:

Members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the 20th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party
[1] Rank | Portrait  | Name  | Hanzi | 19th PSC | Birth | PM | Birthplace | Academic attainment  | No. of offices | Ref.

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1  |  | Xi Jinping | 习近平  | Old | 1953  | 1974  | Beijing |

Graduate

* Doctoral degree in Marxist legal studies
* Undergraduate degree in chemical engineering

Eleven

* Party offices
* General Secretary, Central Committee
* Chairman, National Security Commission of the Central Committee
* Chairman, Central Comprehensively Deepening Reforms Commission of the Central Committee
* Head, Central Leading Group for Taiwan Affairs of the Central Committee
* Head, Central Leading Group for Financial and Economic Work of the Central Committee
* Head, Central Leading Group for Network Security and Information Technology of the Central Committee
* Military offices
* Chairman, Central Military Commission
* Commander-in-chief, Joint Operations Command Center of the Central Military Commission of the People's Liberation Army
* Head, Leading Group for National Defence and Military Reform of the Central Military Commission
* Head, Office of the Central Integrated Military-Civilian Development Committee
* State offices
* President of China

| [2]
2  |  | Li Qiang | 李强  | New | 1959  | 1983  | Zhejiang |

Graduate

* Master's degree in business administration
* Graduate programme in world economics
* Graduate programme in engineering management
* Undergraduate degree in agricultural mechanisation

Eight

* Party offices
* Director, Central Institutional Organisation Commission
* Deputy director, Central Comprehensively Deepening Reforms Commission
* Deputy director, Central Financial and Economic Affairs Commission
* Deputy director, Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission
* Deputy director, Central Foreign Affairs Commission
* Leader, Central Leading Group for Climate Change and Emissions Reduction
* Leader, State Council Leading Party Members Group
* State offices
* Premier, State Council of the People's Republic of China

| [3]
3  |  | Zhao Leji | 赵乐际  | Old | 1957  | 1975  | Qinghai |

Graduate

* Graduate programme in currency and banking
* Undergraduate degree in philosophy

One

* State office
* Chairman, Standing Committee of the National People's Congress

| [4]
4  |  | Wang Huning | 王沪宁  | Old | 1955  | 1984  | Shanghai |

Graduate

* Master's degree in Marxist legal studies
* Graduate programme in international politics
* Undergraduate degree in French

One

* Organisational office
* Chairman, National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference

| [5]
5  |  | Cai Qi | 蔡奇  | New | 1955  | 1975  | Fujian |

Graduate

* Doctoral degree in political economy
* Post-graduate degree in economic law
* Undergraduate degree in political education

Three

* Party offices
* First Secretary, Secretariat of the Central Committee
* Director, General Office of the Central Committee
* Director, Office of the General Secretary of the Central Committee

| [6]
6  |  | Ding Xuexiang | 丁薛祥  | New | 1962  | 1984  | Jiangsu |

Graduate

* Master's degree in science and management
* Bachelor's degree in engineering

One

* State offices
* First-Ranked Vice Premier of the State Council

| [7]
7  |  | Li Xi | 李希  | New | 1956  | 1982  | Gansu |

Graduate

* Master's degree in economics and management
* Undergraduate degree in literature

Two

* Party offices
* Secretary, Standing Committee of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection
* Director, Central Leading Group for Inspection Work

| [8]

### Vice president

[edit]

Between 2018 and 2023, Vice President Wang Qishan, himself a former member of the Politburo Standing Committee, has been placed in front of the other members of the Politburo and in front of former leaders, and immediately after the sitting Politburo Standing Committee members. After Wang Qishan retired in 2023, his successor Han Zheng, is also a former member of the Politburo Standing Committee, which placed Hanin the same rank as Wang.

### Other members of the CCP Politburo

[edit]

From its early history, the Politburo was theoretically a "leadership collective", with equal status accorded to each of its members. In practice, the Politburo Standing Committee members have elevated status within the body and are considered its most important and powerful members. When a new Politburo member list is first announced, or when the Politburo membership is being reported independently of other bodies, it is ordered by "the number of strokes in the surname character", a traditional method of 'alphabetization' of Chinese names; in these cases, all Politburo members, including PSC members, are named in this sequence. Unlike the PSC, Politburo members are not ranked based on presumed level of power. When it comes to seating protocol and official announcements about the Politburo in conjunction with other party and state bodies, the Politburo Standing Committee members are announced first, before the rest of the Politburo members.

The members of the Politburo Standing Committee are also Politburo members; since they are already named above, they are omitted from this list

* Ma Xingrui, party secretary of Xinjiang
* Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission
* Yin Li, party secretary of Beijing
* Shi Taifeng, head of the United Front Work Department
* Liu Guozhong, vice premier of the State Council
* Li Ganjie, head of the Organization Department
* Li Shulei, head of the Publicity Department
* Li Hongzhong, first-ranked vice chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee
* He Weidong, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission
* He Lifeng, vice premier of the State Council
* Zhang Youxia, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission
* Zhang Guoqing, vice premier of the State Council
* Chen Wenqing, secretary of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission
* Chen Jining, party secretary of Shanghai
* Chen Min'er, party secretary of Tianjin
* Yuan Jiajun, party secretary of Chongqing
* Huang Kunming, party secretary of Guangdong

### Living former members of the Politburo Standing Committee

[edit]

Immediately following the 16th Party Congress, Jiang Zemin was ranked 2nd overall on the leadership protocol hierarchy, immediately after Hu Jintao. At the conclusion of the 18th Party Congress, when Hu Jintao retired as General Secretary, Jiang was ranked 2nd overall, after Xi Jinping, and Hu Jintao was ranked 3rd, after Jiang. Since 2013, judging mostly based on the official obituary notices of various deceased party officials, Hu seems to have progressively moved "lower" on the protocol strata, first below all current members of the Politburo Standing Committee, and as of 2014, behind all members of the sitting Politburo.[9]

At major functions, Jiang and Hu sat immediately next to Xi Jinping, visually giving them prominence over the other Politburo Standing Committee members on television footage. However, in the official bulletins of the functions, the names of Jiang and Hu were announced after all sitting members of the Politburo. This convention was used at the National Day banquet held on September 30, 2014,[10] the 2015 China Victory Day Parade atop Tiananmen Gate, the opening session of the 19th Party Congress in October 2017, the military parade at 70th anniversary of the People's Republic of China in October 2019, 100th Anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party in July 2021, the opening session of the 20th Party Congress in October 2022, and Jiang Zemin's funeral in December 2022.[11]

Former Politburo Standing Committee members who were not "in good standing" in official party evaluations are not included in this list; this includes those ousted from positions of power but not formally expelled from the party. For instance, Zhao Ziyang and Hua Guofeng were typically omitted from this list when they were alive. Zhou Yongkang, who was convicted on corruption charges in 2015, was also removed from this list. Hu Qili is omitted from this list.

Name  | Image  | Born  | Joined Party  | Former highest post(s)  | Retired

|
|
|
|
|

Hu Jintao |  | 1942  | 1964  | General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party
President of the People's Republic of China
Chairman of the Central Military Commission | 2013
Zhu Rongji |  | 1928  | 1949  | Member of the CCP Politburo Standing Committee
Premier of the People's Republic of China  | 2003
Li Ruihuan |  | 1934  | 1959  | Member of the CCP Politburo Standing Committee
Chairman of the CPPCC National Committee | 2003
Wen Jiabao |  | 1942  | 1965  | Member of the CCP Politburo Standing Committee
Premier of the People's Republic of China  | 2013
Jia Qinglin |  | 1940  | 1959  | Member of the CCP Politburo Standing Committee
Chairman of the CPPCC National Committee  | 2013
Zhang Dejiang |  | 1946  | 1971  | Member of the CCP Politburo Standing Committee
Chairman of the NPC Standing Committee  | 2018
Yu Zhengsheng |  | 1945  | 1964  | Member of the CCP Politburo Standing Committee
Chairman of the CPPCC National Committee  | 2018
Li Zhanshu |  | 1950  | 1975  | Member of the CCP Politburo Standing Committee
Chairman of the NPC Standing Committee  | 2023
Wang Yang |  | 1955  | 1975  | Member of the CCP Politburo Standing Committee
Chairman of the CPPCC National Committee  | 2023
Song Ping |  | 1917  | 1937  | Member of the CCP Politburo Standing Committee  | 1992
Li Lanqing |  | 1932  | 1952  | Member of the CCP Politburo Standing Committee
Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China | 2003
Zeng Qinghong |  | 1939  | 1960  | Member of the CCP Politburo Standing Committee
First Secretary of the CCP Central Secretariat
Vice President of the People's Republic of China | 2008
Wu Guanzheng |  | 1938  | 1962  | Member of the CCP Politburo Standing Committee
Secretary of the CCP Central Commission for Discipline Inspection  | 2007
Li Changchun |  | 1944  | 1965  | Member of the CCP Politburo Standing Committee
Chairman of Central Guidance Commission on Building Spiritual Civilization | 2012
Luo Gan |  | 1935  | 1960  | Member of the CCP Politburo Standing Committee
Secretary of the CCP Central Political and Legislative Affairs Committee | 2007
He Guoqiang |  | 1943  | 1966  | Member of the CCP Politburo Standing Committee
Secretary of the CCP Central Commission for Discipline Inspection | 2012
Liu Yunshan |  | 1947  | 1971  | Member of the CCP Politburo Standing Committee
First Secretary of the CCP Central Secretariat
Chairman of Central Guidance Commission on Building Spiritual Civilization | 2017
Wang Qishan |  | 1948  | 1983  | Member of the CCP Politburo Standing Committee
Secretary of the CCP Central Commission for Discipline Inspection
Vice President of the People's Republic of China | 2023
Zhang Gaoli |  | 1946  | 1973  | Member of the CCP Politburo Standing Committee
Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China  | 2018

### Secretaries of the CCP Secretariat

[edit]

* Cai Qi (included earlier in the order of precedence as a member of the Politburo Standing Committee)
* Shi Taifeng (included earlier in the order of precedence as a member of the Politburo)
* Li Ganjie (included earlier in the order of precedence as a member of the Politburo)
* Li Shulei (included earlier in the order of precedence as a member of the Politburo)
* Chen Wenqing (included earlier in the order of precedence as a member of the Politburo)
* Liu Jinguo
* Wang Xiaohong

### Vice Chairpersons of the National People's Congress Standing Committee

[edit]

* Li Hongzhong (included earlier in the order of precedence as a member of the Politburo)
* Wang Dongming
* Xiao Jie
* Zheng Jianbang
* Ding Zhongli
* Hao Mingjin
* Cai Dafeng
* He Wei
* Wu Weihua
* Tie Ning
* Peng Qinghua
* Zhang Qingwei
* Losang Jamcan
* Shohrat Zakir

### State Councilors, Supervisory Chief, and Judiciary Chiefs

[edit]

* State Councilors (in order of rank)
* Li Shangfu
* Wang Xiaohong (included earlier in the order of precedence as a secretary of the Secretariat)
* Wu Zhenglong
* Shen Yiqin
* Qin Gang
* Director of the National Supervisory Commission (Liu Jinguo) (included earlier in the order of precedence as a secretary of the Secretariat)
* President of the Supreme People's Court (Zhang Jun)
* Procurator-General of the Supreme People's Procuratorate (Ying Yong)

### Vice Chairpersons of the CPPCC National Committee

[edit]

In the following order:

* Shi Taifeng (included earlier in the order of precedence as a member of the Politburo)
* Hu Chunhua
* Shen Yueyue
* Wang Yong
* Zhou Qiang
* Pagbalha Geleg Namgyai
* Edmund Ho
* Leung Chun-ying
* Bagatur
* Su Hui
* Shao Hong
* Gao Yunlong
* Chen Wu
* Mu Hong
* Xian Hui
* Wang Dongfeng
* Jiang Xinzhi
* Jiang Zuojun
* He Baoxiang
* Wang Guangqian
* Qin Boyong
* Zhu Yongxin
* Yang Zhen

### Members of the Central Military Commission

[edit]

* Li Shangfu (included earlier in the order of precedence as a state councilor)
* Liu Zhenli
* Miao Hua
* Zhang Shengmin

## Former national leaders

[edit]

Each year, state media releases a list of "old comrades" that the current cohort of leaders would pay their respects to during the days leading up to Chinese New Year. These leaders are strictly ranked based on the hierarchy of their positions during their last term in office.[12] In general, these rankings follow the rules as set out below:

* Those who held paramount leadership
* Those who held top leadership posts over one of the four major state or party organs - that is, the head of the Central Committee, National People's Congress, State Council, and CPPCC National Committee.
* Other former members of the Politburo Standing Committee
* Those who held Politburo membership
* Those who held Secretariat membership
* Those who served as Vice-Chairs of the National People's Congress
* Those who served as Vice-Premiers or State Councilors (and not otherwise members of the Politburo)
* Those who served as President of the Supreme People's Court or Supreme People's Procuratorate
* Those who served as vice-chairpersons of the CPPCC National Committee

In general, if leaders are of equal rank on all accounts, those who belong to an earlier cohort are ranked prior to those of later cohorts; leaders are ranked by the last substantive position they held. For example, Li Tieying is ranked among the vice-chairmen of the National People's Congress, and not among the Politburo members, even though he would have qualified for higher ranking among Politburo members - he retired while holding the post NPC vice-chair. Similarly, Hu Qili was a former member of the Politburo Standing Committee, but he was demoted following the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 and the last position he held prior to retirement was one of the Vice-Chairs of the CPPCC, hence he is ranked among CPPCC Vice-Chairs in protocol sequence.[12]

## Rankings below the National Leadership

[edit]

See also: Provincial Party Standing Committee

Within the People's Republic of China, there is a statutory "National Civil Service Rankings System" to determine ranking of officials below the minister-level, stretching from the very important positions (Provincial Party Secretaries, for instance) to the lowest positions (for example, someone who is responsible for a township office). Their relative ranking determines their annual salary, living stipends, entitlement to official residences and vehicles, pensions, benefits, and so forth. Provincial leaders do not enjoy an elevated protocol rank in their own province of jurisdiction. Rather they must still be placed behind all national leaders listed above.

For the purposes of protocol rankings, the heads of national ministries technically hold the same rank as provincial governors. Therefore, they do not qualify as "national leaders". Departmental heads of the CCP, and ministers of the State Council are both called bùzhǎng (部长; literally "Head of Department"). However, many Communist Party Department heads, such as heads of the Organization and Propaganda departments, almost always hold seats on the Politburo, and thus are ranked as "national leaders". Ministers of central government departments rarely hold Politburo seats.[d] When all else is equal, the party department heads rank above state department heads; for example, the head of the International Liaison Department of the Chinese Communist Party will always rank ahead of the Minister of Foreign Affairs if they appear in the same function. In a similar vein, the provincial Party Secretary will always rank above the provincial Governor.

The hierarchy of party vs. state positions is strictly adhered to for official protocol, demonstrating the 'vanguard' status of the Communist Party in Chinese politics. Generally, party positions are treated with more prestige than state positions of an equal level, but technically the official civil service privileges are the same for party and state officials of the same administrative level.[13]

### Local Party Committee rankings

[edit]

A Party Committee is the de facto highest ruling council of any given jurisdiction in the PRC, except for the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau.

In provincial, municipal, and other local-level protocol rankings, the four main institutions generally follow the ranking of:

1. Party Secretary
2. Chief of Government (Governor in Provinces or Mayor in Directly Governed Cities, usually a Deputy Secretary)
3. Chairman of the People's Congress
4. Chairman of the regional People's Political Consultative Conference

Provincial party standing committees are powerful bodies whose membership is vetted directly by the Organization Department of the Chinese Communist Party based on the nomenklatura system. The members of these bodies are generally ranked by date of accession to sub-provincial rank, although in practice there appears to be some variation to this rule.

## See also

[edit]

* Politics of China
* Generations of Chinese leadership
* List of political parties in China#Institutional minor parties. There is an order of precedence among the eight institutional minor parties.

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ At the 11th Plenum of the 8th Central Committee in 1966, for example, Liu Shaoqi was demoted from second to eighth on the party hierarchy on personal orders from Mao, but retained the office of state president.
2. ^ See for example the rankings of national leaders during the memorial ceremony of the Panchen Lama held in 1989; at this event, the ordering of leaders was Zhao Ziyang (as General Secretary), Yang Shangkun (as President), Li Peng (as Premier), Wan Li (as NPC Chair), Li Xiannian (as CPPCC chair), Qiao Shi (as a member of the Politburo Standing Committee).
3. ^ For example, at the funeral of Ye Jianying in 1986, the order of leaders appeared as Hu Yaobang (as General Secretary), Deng Xiaoping (as CMC Chair), Zhao Ziyang (as Premier), Li Xiannian (as President), Chen Yun.
4. ^ Perhaps a notable exception is Zhou Yongkang, who held a seat on the Politburo as Minister of Public Security between 2002 and 2007.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Chinese Government Leadership". US-China Business Council. 7 October 2013. Archived from the original on 27 April 2023. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
2. ^ Li, Cheng. "Xi Jinping 习近平" (PDF). Brookings Institution. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 May 2023. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
3. ^ Li, Cheng. "Li Qiang 李强" (PDF). Brookings Institution. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 July 2023. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
4. ^ Li, Cheng. "Zhao Leji 赵乐际" (PDF). Brookings Institution. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 December 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
5. ^ Li, Cheng. "Wang Huning 王沪宁" (PDF). Brookings Institution. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 November 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
6. ^ Li, Cheng. "Cai Qi 蔡奇" (PDF). Brookings Institution. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 May 2023. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
7. ^ Li, Cheng. "Ding Xuexiang 丁薛祥" (PDF). Brookings Institution. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 May 2023. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
8. ^ Li, Cheng. "Li Xi 李希" (PDF). Brookings Institution. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 October 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
9. ^ "胡錦濤遭"降級" 排名跌至政治局委員外". Duowei News. September 8, 2014.
10. ^ "A Rare Glimpse into China's Second Black Box—the Powerful Elders". tiananmenstremendousachievements.wordpress.com. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
11. ^ Xinwen Lianbo, CCTV, September 3, 2015
12. ^ a b "老同志终于集体露面 深度解读最新名单与2019排序". 2019-02-02.
13. ^ "中共中央办公厅、国务院办公厅关于新任副部长、副省长以上干部生活待遇的几项暂行规定--中国共产党新闻--中国共产党新闻网". cpc.people.com.cn.

*[v]: View this template
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*[Rank]: The official numbering of the Politburo Standing Committee as announced by the 1st Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee.
*[Birth]: The year of birth of the person in question.
*[PM]: Party membership—when the person in question joined the party.
*[Birthplace]: Birthplace—in which large city or province the person in question was born in.
*[No. of offices]: All political offices held during this electoral term.
*[Ref.]: References.
*[Old]: Member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the 20th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party.
*[New]: Not a Member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the 19th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party.