Premier of China

For the list, see List of premiers of China. For other uses, see Premier of China (disambiguation).

Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China
中华人民共和国国务院总理
National Emblem of China
Flag of China
Incumbent Li Qiang since 11 March 2023
State Council of the People's Republic of China
Style	Comrade (同志) (formal) His Excellency (阁下) (diplomatic)
Type	Head of government
Status	National-level official
Member of	Plenary Meeting of the State Council Executive Meeting of the State Council
Reports to	National People's Congress and its Standing Committee
Residence	Premier's Office, Zhongnanhai, Beijing
Seat	Beijing
Nominator	President (chosen within the Chinese Communist Party)
Appointer	National People's Congress (by acclamation)
Term length	Five years, renewable once consecutively
Constituting instrument	Constitution of China
Precursor	Premier of the Government Administration Council of the Central People's Government
Inaugural holder	Yikuang (Qing dynasty) Zhou Enlai (current form)
Formation	8 May 1911;114 years ago (1911-05-08) (Premier of the Imperial Cabinet) 12 March 1912;113 years ago (1912-03-12) (Republican era) 1 October 1949;76 years ago (1949-10-01) (Premier of the Government Administration Council of the Central People's Government) 27 September 1954;71 years ago (1954-09-27) (Premier of the State Council)
Unofficial names	Prime Minister
Deputy	Vice Premier State councillor
Salary	CN¥150,000 per annum est. (2015) [1]

Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China
Simplified Chinese	中华人民共和国国务院总理
Traditional Chinese	中華人民共和國國務院總理
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó Guówùyuàn Zǒnglǐ

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. The post of prime minister was established in 1911 near the end of the Qing dynasty, but the current post dates to 1954, five years after the establishment of the PRC. The premier is the third-highest ranking official in China's political system after the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (party leader) and the president (state representative), and holds the highest rank in the civil service of the central government. Since 1993 the positions of general secretary and president have been held by the same person, making the premier effectively the second-highest ranking official in practice.

The premier presides over the plenary and executive meetings of the State Council, and assumes overall leadership over the State Council's work. The premier delivers a government work report at the annual session of the National People's Congress (NPC). The premier also signs administrative regulations passed by the State Council and signs the orders approving the appointment and removal of deputy-ministerial level officials of the State Council, as well as chief executives of Hong Kong and of Macau. The premier additionally has the authority to impose martial law. The premier is assisted by four vice premiers and state councillors in their duties. The premier heads the Leading Party Members Group of the State Council. In China's political system, the premier has generally thought to be the one responsible for managing the economy.

The premier is constitutionally appointed by the NPC after being nominated by the president, and responsible to it and its Standing Committee. The premier serves for a five-year term, renewable once consecutively. Every premier has been a member of the CCP Politburo Standing Committee since the PRC's founding in 1949, except during brief transition periods. The incumbent premier is Li Qiang, who took office on 11 March 2023, succeeding Li Keqiang.

History

Main article: List of premiers of the People's Republic of China

In the early 1900s, the Qing dynasty government began implementing constitutional reform in China in order to prevent a revolution. The reforms included the Outline of the Imperial Constitution passed in 1908, which ordered that elections for provincial assemblies must be held within a year. In May 1911, the government replaced the Grand Council with a thirteen-member cabinet, led by Prince Qing, who was appointed Prime Minister of the Imperial Cabinet. However, the cabinet included nine Manchus, seven of whom were members of the imperial clan. This "Princes' Cabinet" was unpopular among the people and was viewed as a reactionary measure, being described at one point as "the old Grand Council under the name of a cabinet, autocracy under the name of constitutionalism." ^[2]

When the Wuchang Uprising broke out in November 1911, the imperial court summoned the general Yuan Shikai to command the Beiyang Army and put down the revolution. He was named Prime Minister on 2 November 1911, shortly after Prince Qing stepped down. He remained in that office until March 1912, when he negotiated with Empress Dowager Longyu the abdication of the Xuantong Emperor. ^[2] However, the post was briefly revived in July 1917 during Zhang Xun's attempt to restore the Qing monarchy, but he only held it for several days before Beijing was retaken by Republican forces.

Following the collapse of the Qing, the premier of the Republic of China was created as Premier of the Cabinet (內閣總理) in 1912. It was changed to the Secretary of State (國務卿) in 1914 and Premier of State Council (國務總理) in 1916 in the Beiyang Government. In 1928, the Kuomintang (KMT) Government established the Executive Yuan and Tan Yankai served as the first president of the Executive Yuan. It was formalized in 1947 after the Constitution of the Republic of China was passed. The post was abolished in Mainland China, but continued on Taiwan since 1949.

People's Republic of China

The PRC post was initially established by Organic Law of the Central People's Government, passed by the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in 29 September 1949, as the premier of the Government Administration Council of the Central People's Government. ^[3] Zhou Enlai was appointed as premier immediately after the proclamation of the People's Republic of China in 1 October 1949. ^[4] With the adoption of a constitution in 1954, the post was renamed into the premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China. ^[5]

Since the 1980s, there has been a division of responsibilities between the premier and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) general secretary wherein the premier is responsible for the economy and the technical details of implementing government policy while the general secretary gathers the political support necessary for government policy. ^[6] However, this was seen by observers to be overturned under the leadership of CCP general secretary Xi Jinping, who has centralized power around himself, and has taken responsibility over areas that were traditionally the domain of Premier Li Keqiang, including the economy. ^[6]

The premier was historically chosen within the CCP through deliberations by incumbent Politburo members and retired CCP Politburo members as part of the process of determining membership in the incoming new CCP Politburo Standing Committee. Under this informal process, the eventual future premier is initially chosen as a vice premier before assuming the position of premier during a subsequent round of leadership transitions. ^[7] This changed under Xi, with his ally and current premier Li Qiang never having served as vice premier. ^[8] Under Li Qiang's tenure, the premier's political status was seen as having risen again. ^[9]

Selection

Officially, the premier is appointed by the National People's Congress (NPC) upon the nomination of the president. ^[10] The NPC also has the power to remove the premier and other state officers from office. Elections and removals are decided by majority vote. ^[10] In practice, the premier is chosen within the CCP leadership, including the Politburo Standing Committee. ^[11] Candidates for top positions including the premier are first approved first by the CCP's Politburo Standing Committee, and then by its Politburo, then approved in a special plenary session the Central Committee just before the NPC session for vote by the Congress, with the president nominating the candidate during the NPC session. ^[12]

The length of the premier's term of office is the same as the NPC, which is 5 years, and the premier is restricted to two consecutive terms. ^[10] Immediately after the election, the president signs the presidential order formalizing the premier's appointment. Since 2018, the premier is required to recite the constitutional oath of office before assuming office. ^[11]

Powers and duties

The premier is the highest administrative position in the government of China. The premier heads the State Council and is responsible for organizing and administering the Chinese civil bureaucracy. ^[13] For example, the premier is tasked with planning and implementing national economic and social development and the state budget. ^[14] The premier has always been a member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party. The premier leads the Leading Party Members Group, which responsible for overseeing the implementation of CCP Central Committee policies in the State Council. ^[15]

The premier's duties includes overseeing the various ministries, departments, commissions and statutory agencies. ^[8] The premier can also propose the establishment, merger or dissolution of ministries, which would then be decided upon by the NPC or its Standing Committee. ^[16] The premier officially nominated the candidates for vice premiers, state councillors, ministerial offices and the secretary-general of the State Council for appointment by the NPC. ^[11] The vice premiers assist the premier in their duties. The first-ranked vice premier acts in the premier's capacity in their absence. ^[17] The premier also signs the order approving the appointments or removals of State Council officials at the deputy-ministerial level, as well as the Chief Executive of Hong Kong and the Chief Executive of Macau. ^[14]

The premier chairs the plenary and executive meetings of the State Council. The executive meetings include the premier, vice premiers, state councillors and the secretary-general of the State Council, ^[10] and are held two or three times a month, and can be held in any time if necessary. ^[18] The Premier can call Work Meetings in order to issue instructions; these meetings were abolished in 2003 but were reintroduced in 2023. The premier also chairs the bimonthly special study sessions, which highlight an area for the State Council to study. ^[9] The State Council has the authority to issue proposals to the NPC and its Standing Committee, which must be approved by the premier. It can also draft or abolish administrative regulations, which are then signed into order and promulgated by the premier. ^{[14] [18]} The premier delivers a government work report at the annual session of the NPC. ^{[19] : 61–62}

The premier does not have command authority over the armed forces, but is generally the head of the National Defense Mobilization Commission which is a department of the armed forces. ^[20] The State Council has the authority to impose martial law in subdivisions below the provincial-level administrative divisions, which the premier then proclaims in an order; ^{[14] [21]} premier Li Peng once used the authority to impose martial law in parts of Beijing and to order the military crackdown of the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989. ^[22]

List of premiers

Generations of leadership

  First Administration  Second Administration  Third Administration   Hu–Wen Administration    Xi–Li Administration/Xi's general secretaryship

Portrait		Name (Birth–Death) Constituency	Term of office			NPC	State Council	President	Paramount leader
1		Zhou Enlai 周恩来 (1898–1976) Beijing Delegation	1 October 1949	15 September 1954	26 years, 3 months and 1 week	CP	Zhou I	Mao Zedong
			27 September 1954	18 April 1959		I	Zhou II	Mao Zedong
			18 April 1959	21 December 1964		II	Zhou III	Liu Shaoqi	Mao Zedong
			21 December 1964	4 January 1975		III	Zhou IV	Liu Shaoqi then vacant	Mao Zedong
			4 January 1975	8 January 1976†		IV	Zhou V	Abolished	Mao Zedong
			1954 Geneva Conference, Bandung Conference, 1972 Nixon visit to China, Great Leap Forward, Cultural Revolution, introduction of Four Modernizations during Conference on Scientific and Technological Work Offices: Minister of Foreign Affairs (1949–1958), CPPCC Chairman (1954–1976) †Died in office (cancer)
2		Hua Guofeng 华国锋 (1921–2008) Hunan Delegation	31 January 1976	7 April 1976	4 years, 7 months and 6 days	IV	(acting)	Abolished	Mao Zedong
			7 April 1976	5 March 1978			Hua I	Abolished	Himself
			5 March 1978	10 September 1980§		V	Hua II	Abolished	Deng Xiaoping
			Two Whatevers, Tiananmen Incident, Smashing the Gang of Four, Sino-Vietnamese War, One Child Policy Offices: Governor of Hunan (1970–1976), Minister of Public Security (1975–1977), Vice Premier (1975–1976) § Ousted
3		Zhao Ziyang 赵紫阳 (1919–2005) Beijing Delegation	10 September 1980	6 June 1983	7 years, 2 months and 2 weeks	V	(acting)	Abolished	Deng Xiaoping
			6 June 1983	24 November 1987§		VI	Zhao	Li Xiannian	Deng Xiaoping
			Reform and opening up, Sino-British Joint Declaration, Joint Declaration on the Question of Macau Offices: Governor of Guangdong (1974–1975), Governor of Sichuan (1975–1980) § Resigned
4		Li Peng 李鹏 (1928–2019) Beijing Delegation	24 November 1987	25 March 1988	10 years, 3 months and 3 weeks	VI	(acting)	Li Xiannian	Deng Xiaoping
			25 March 1988	15 March 1993		VII	Li P. I	Yang Shangkun	Deng Xiaoping Jiang Zemin
			15 March 1993	17 March 1998		VIII	Li P. II	Jiang Zemin
			Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, Three Gorges Dam, Transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong Offices: Chairman of State Education Commission (1985–1988), Vice Premier (1983–1987)
5		Zhu Rongji 朱镕基 (1928–) Hunan Delegation	17 March 1998	16 March 2003	4 years, 11 months, 3 weeks and 6 days	IX	Zhu	Jiang Zemin
			Accession to the World Trade Organization, signing of China-ASEAN Free Trade Area agreement, extensive reform of the tax system, reform of the civil service examination system, opening senior- and mid-level government positions to public selection based on merit, cutting bureaucratic waste and red tape, investing state capital in transportation, energy and agriculture, execution purge of corrupt provincial politicians who misallocated infrastructure and agriculture funds. Offices: Mayor of Shanghai (1987–1991), Governor of the People's Bank of China (1993–1995), First-ranking Vice Premier (1993–1998)
6		Wen Jiabao 温家宝 (1942–) Gansu Delegation	16 March 2003	16 March 2008	9 years, 11 months, 3 weeks and 6 days	X	Wen I	Hu Jintao
			16 March 2008	15 March 2013		XI	Wen II	Hu Jintao
			SARS outbreak, Anti-Secession Law, H5N1 avian flu outbreak, 2008 Sichuan earthquake, Beijing Summer Olympics, Shanghai Expo, expansion of healthcare insurance coverage, abolishment long-standing agricultural tax because of rural discontent and increasing wealth gap. [23] Offices: Vice Premier (1998–2003)
7		Li Keqiang 李克强 (1955–2023) Shandong Delegation (until 2018) Guangxi Delegation (from 2018)	15 March 2013	18 March 2018	9 years, 11 months, 3 weeks and 3 days	XII	Li K.	Xi Jinping
			18 March 2018	11 March 2023		XIII		Xi Jinping
			2014 Ludian earthquake, COVID-19 pandemic, Beijing Winter Olympics, comprehensively deepening reforms, common prosperity, streamline administration and delegate power. Offices: First-ranking Vice Premier (2008–2013)
8		Li Qiang 李强 (1958–) Yunnan Delegation	11 March 2023	Incumbent	2 years, 9 months, 1 week and 5 days	XIV	Li Q.	Xi Jinping
			Offices: Governor of Zhejiang (2012–2016)

Timeline

See also

• China portal
• Politics portal

• List of leaders of the People's Republic of China
• List of Chinese leaders

References

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4. Liu, Juliana (2015-12-30). "Zhou Enlai: Was Communist China's first premier gay?". BBC News . Retrieved 2025-12-22.
5. Chang, Yu-Nan (1956). "The Chinese Communist State System Under the Constitution of 1954". The Journal of Politics . 18 (3): 520–546. doi:10.2307/2127261. ISSN   0022-3816. JSTOR   2127261. S2CID   154446161.
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13. Shambaugh 2021, p. 18.
14. Chen, Yan (3 April 2023). "李强：中国新总理上任23天的三个信号和三道难题" [Li Qiang: Three signals and three problems for China’s new premier in his 23rd day in office]. BBC News . Archived from the original on 18 June 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
15. He, Alex (December 2018). "The Emerging Model of Economic Policy Making under Xi Jinping" (PDF). Centre for International Governance Innovation. Retrieved 8 March 2025.
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17. Tang, Frank; Wang, Orange (27 October 2022). "China's top legislature 'deliberates' on new nominations, as leadership reshuffle stokes market turmoil". South China Morning Post . Archived from the original on 9 January 2023. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
18. Zheng, William (28 March 2023). "New work rules for China's State Council put the party firmly in charge". South China Morning Post . Archived from the original on 19 June 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
19. Li, David Daokui (2024). China's World View: Demystifying China to Prevent Global Conflict. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN   978-0393292398.
20. "NIDS China Security Report 2012" (PDF). National Institute for Defense Studies. December 2012. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 March 2023. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
21. "Martial Law of the People's Republic of China". National People's Congress . 11 December 2007. Archived from the original on 22 October 2022. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
22. Huang, Cary (24 July 2019). "Obituary: Li Peng, China's technocrat 'communist warrior' who rose to the top in chaotic times". South China Morning Post . Archived from the original on 26 July 2019. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
23. Yu, Hao (1 September 2015). "Universal health insurance coverage for 1.3 billion people: What accounts for China's success?". Health Policy. 119 (9): 1145–1152. doi: 10.1016/j.healthpol.2015.07.008 . PMC   7114832 . PMID   26251322.

Further reading

• Shambaugh, David (2021). China's Leaders: From Mao to Now. Polity. ISBN   9781509546510.