The vice premiers of the State Council of the People's Republic of China are high-ranking officials under the premier and above the state councillors and ministers.[1] 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, He Lifeng, Zhang Guoqing and Liu Guozhong.
| Vice Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China | |
|---|---|
| 中华人民共和国国务院副总理 | |
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Ding Xuexiang He Lifeng Zhang Guoqing Liu Guozhong since 12 March 2023 | |
| State Council of the People's Republic of China | |
| Style | Vice Premier (副总理) (informal) |
| Status | Sub-national leader level official |
| Member of |
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| Reports to | Premier of the State Council |
| Residence | Premier's Office, Zhongnanhai |
| Seat | Beijing |
| Nominator | Premier of the State Council |
| Appointer | President pursuant to a National People's Congress decision |
| Term length | Five years, renewable once consecutively |
| Precursor | Vice Premier of the Government Administration Council of the Central People's Government |
| Inaugural holder | Chen Yun |
| Formation | September 1954; 69 years ago (1954-09) |
| Website | State Council |
| Vice Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China | |||||||||
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| Simplified Chinese | 中华人民共和国国务院副总理 | ||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 中華人民共和國國務院副總理 | ||||||||
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| Alternative Chinese name | |||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 国务院副总理 | ||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 國務院副總理 | ||||||||
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The highest-ranked office holder is informally called the Senior Vice PremierorFirst Vice Premier (Chinese: 第一副总理) or Executive Vice Premier (Chinese: 常务副总理), a most prominent case being Deng Xiaoping in the mid-to-late 1970s.[2][3] 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.
Officially, the vice premiers are appointed by the National People's Congress (NPC) upon the nomination of the premier.[4] 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.[4] In practice, the vice premiers are chosen within the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leadership, including the Politburo Standing Committee.[5]
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.[4] Immediately after the election, the president 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.[5]
Vice premiers are the deputies to the premier, with each vice premier overseeing a certain area of administration.[6] Vice premiers are members of the executive meetings of the State Council, along with the premier, secretary-general and state councillors.[4] Additionally, all vice premiers have been members of the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party in recent decades, with the executive vice premier being a member of the Politburo Standing Committee.[7]
| Vice Premiers of the People's Republic of China | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portrait | Information | Posts | ||
 |
Rank | 1st | Member of the Politburo Standing Committee (6th Ranked)
Development and reform, education, science and technology, finance, ecology and environment, statistics, and intellectual property | |
| Name | Ding Xuexiang | |||
| Constituency | Liaoning At-large | |||
| Birthplace | Nantong, Jiangsu | |||
| Took office | 12 March 2023 | |||
 |
Rank | 2nd | Member of the Politburo
Public finance, natural resource management, housing and urban development, transportation, commerce | |
| Name | He Lifeng | |||
| Constituency | Inner Mongolia At-large | |||
| Birthplace | Xingning, Guangdong | |||
| Took office | 12 March 2023 | |||
 |
Rank | 3rd | Member of the Politburo
Industry and information technology, emergency management, and state-owned enterprises | |
| Name | Zhang Guoqing | |||
| Constituency | Tibet At-large | |||
| Birthplace | Luoshan County, Henan | |||
| Took office | 12 March 2023 | |||
 |
Rank | 4th | Member of the Politburo
Agriculture and rural affairs, health, poverty alleviation, and meteorology | |
| Name | Liu Guozhong | |||
| Constituency | Henan At-large | |||
| Birthplace | Wangkui County, Heilongjiang | |||
| Took office | 12 March 2023 | |||
