This is a list of the heads of state of the Republic of China (ROC) since 1912 and the state representatives of the People's Republic of China (PRC) since 1949.
This is a list of the presidents of the Republic of China (ROC) (1912–present). The Republic of China president is called 總統 (Zǒngtǒng, "President"), and from 1912–1928, 大總統 (Dàzǒngtǒng, "Grand President").
Since 1949, the de facto territory of the ROC is reduced to Taiwan and its surrounding islands, the former previously ruled by Japan from 1895 to 1945, no longer governing mainland China. It continued to represent China in the United Nations until it was expelled on 25 October 1971 and diplomatically by the United States government until 1 January 1979. The President of the ROC is also known as the President of Taiwan due to the territory it governs.
All the names on this list follow the Oriental convention with the family name first and given name second. Provisional Government: Tongmenghui Beiyang clique, etc.
Beiyang Government: Beiyang clique, etc. Progressive Party/Research Clique Communications Clique
Nationalist to Constitutional Government: Kuomintang Democratic Progressive Party
Presidents of the Provisional Government | ||||||||
No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Political party | Vice President | Assembly (elected) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Sun Yat-sen 孫中山 (1866–1925) | 1 January 1912 | 10 March 1912 | Tongmenghui | Li Yuanhong (Nonpartisan) | Provisional (1911) | ||
2 | Yuan Shikai 袁世凱 (1859–1916) | 10 March 1912 | 10 October 1913 | Beiyang clique | Li Yuanhong (Nonpartisan) | Provisional (1912) | ||
Presidents of the Beiyang Government | ||||||||
No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Political party | Vice President | Assembly (elected) | ||
1 | Yuan Shikai 袁世凱 (1859–1916) | 10 October 1913 | 6 June 1916 [note 1] [note 2] | Beiyang clique | Li Yuanhong (Progressive) | 1st (1913) | ||
2 | Li Yuanhong 黎元洪 (1864–1928) | 7 June 1916 | 17 July 1917 [note 3] [note 4] | Progressive Party | Feng Guozhang (Zhili clique) | |||
— | Feng Guozhang 馮國璋 (1859–1919) (acting) [note 5] | 17 July 1917 | 10 October 1918 | Zhili clique | Vacant | |||
3 | Xu Shichang 徐世昌 (1855–1939) | 10 October 1918 | 2 June 1922 [note 4] | Anhui clique | Vacant | 2nd (1918) | ||
— | Zhou Ziqi 周自齊 (1871–1923) (acting) [note 6] | 2 June 1922 | 11 June 1922 | Communications Clique | Vacant | |||
(2) | Li Yuanhong 黎元洪 (1864–1928) | 11 June 1922 | 13 June 1923 [note 4] | Research Clique | Vacant | |||
— | Gao Lingwei 高凌霨 (1868–1939) (acting) [note 7] | 14 June 1923 | 10 October 1923 | Zhili clique | Vacant | |||
4 | Cao Kun 曹錕 (1862–1938) | 10 October 1923 | 2 November 1924 [note 4] | Zhili clique | Vacant | (1923) | ||
— | Huang Fu 黃郛 (1883–1936) (acting) [note 6] | 2 November 1924 | 24 November 1924 | Nonpartisan | Vacant | |||
5 | Duan Qirui [note 8] 段祺瑞 (1865–1936) | 24 November 1924 | 20 April 1926 [note 4] | Anhui clique | Vacant | |||
Vacant | ||||||||
— | Hu Weide [note 9] 胡惟德 (1863–1933) (acting) [note 6] | 20 April 1926 | 13 May 1926 | Zhili clique | Vacant | |||
— | Yan Huiqing (W.W. Yan) 顏惠慶 (1877–1950) (acting) [note 7] | 13 May 1926 | 22 June 1926 | Nonpartisan | Vacant | |||
— | Du Xigui 杜錫珪 (1875–1933) (acting) [note 6] | 22 June 1926 | 1 October 1926 | Zhili clique | Vacant | |||
— | V.K. Wellington Koo 顧維鈞 (1888–1985) (acting) [note 7] | 1 October 1926 | 17 June 1927 [note 10] | Nonpartisan | Vacant | |||
6 | Zhang Zuolin [note 11] 張作霖 (1875–1928) | 18 June 1927 | 4 June 1928 [note 12] | Fengtian clique | Vacant | |||
Chairmen of the Nationalist Government | ||||||||
No. | Portrait | Name [note 13] (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Political party | Assembly (elected) | |||
— | Tan Yankai 譚延闓 (1880–1930) | 7 February 1928 | 10 October 1928 | Kuomintang | 2nd National Congress of Kuomintang (4th plenum) | |||
— | Chiang Kai-shek 蔣中正 (1887–1975) | 10 October 1928 | 15 December 1931 [note 10] | Kuomintang | 2nd National Congress of Kuomintang (5th plenum) | |||
— | Lin Sen 林森 (1868–1943) | 15 December 1931 [note 14] | 1 August 1943 [note 2] | Kuomintang | ||||
— | 4th National Congress of Kuomintang (1st plenum) | |||||||
— | Chiang Kai-shek 蔣中正 (1887–1975) | 1 August 1943 [note 15] | 20 May 1948 | Kuomintang | ||||
— | 5th National Congress of Kuomintang (11th plenum) | |||||||
Presidents after the 1947 Constitution | ||||||||
No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Political party | Vice President | Term (elected) | ||
1 | Chiang Kai-shek 蔣中正 (1887–1975) | 20 May 1948 | 21 January 1949 [note 16] | Kuomintang | Li Zongren (Kuomintang) | 1 (1948) | ||
— | Li Zongren 李宗仁 (1890–1969) (acting) [note 5] | 21 January 1949 | 1 March 1950 | Kuomintang | Vacant | |||
(1) | Chiang Kai-shek 蔣中正 (1887–1975) | 1 March 1950 | 5 April 1975 [note 2] | Kuomintang | Li Zongren [note 17] (Kuomintang) | |||
Vacant | ||||||||
Chen Cheng [note 18] (Kuomintang) | 2 (1954) | |||||||
3 (1960) | ||||||||
Vacant | ||||||||
Yen Chia-kan (Kuomintang) | 4 (1966) | |||||||
5 (1972) | ||||||||
2 | Yen Chia-kan (C. K. Yen) 嚴家淦 (1905–1993) | 5 April 1975 | 20 May 1978 | Kuomintang | Vacant | |||
3 | Chiang Ching-kuo 蔣經國 (1910–1988) | 20 May 1978 | 13 January 1988 [note 2] | Kuomintang | Hsieh Tung-min (Kuomintang) | 6 (1978) | ||
Lee Teng-hui (Kuomintang) | 7 (1984) | |||||||
4 | Lee Teng-hui 李登輝 (1923–2020) | 13 January 1988 | 20 May 2000 | Kuomintang | Vacant | |||
Lee Yuan-tsu (Kuomintang) | 8 (1990) | |||||||
Lien Chan (KMT) | 9 (1996) | |||||||
5 | Chen Shui-bian 陳水扁 (born 1950) | 20 May 2000 | 20 May 2008 | Democratic Progressive | Annette Lu (DPP) | 10 (2000) | ||
11 (2004) | ||||||||
6 | Ma Ying-jeou 馬英九 (born 1950) | 20 May 2008 | 20 May 2016 | Kuomintang | Vincent Siew (KMT) | 12 (2008) | ||
Wu Den-yih (KMT) | 13 (2012) | |||||||
7 | Tsai Ing-wen 蔡英文 (born 1956) | 20 May 2016 | Incumbent (term expires 20 May 2024) | Democratic Progressive | Chen Chien-jen (Independent) | 14 (2016) | ||
William Lai (DPP) | 15 (2020) |
This is a list of all the chairmen of the People's Republic of China (1954–1975) and the presidents of the People's Republic of China (1982–present). The President of the PRC is called 主席 (zhǔxí), formerly translated as Chairman.
To avoid confusion, all the names on this list follow the Oriental convention (family name first, given name second) for consistency.
First Administration Second Administration Third Administration Hu–Wen Administration Xi–Li Administration Xi Jinping Administration
Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) Constituency | Term of office | NPC | Vice Chairman | Paramount leader | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Mao Zedong 毛泽东 (1893–1976) Beijing At-large | 27 September 1954 | 27 April 1959 | I | Zhu De | Himself | ||
The first Chairman of the People's Republic of China. Also served as Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party and Chairman of the Central Military Commission. | ||||||||
2 | Liu Shaoqi 刘少奇 (1898–1969) Beijing At-large | 27 April 1959 | 21 December 1964 | II | Soong Ching-ling & Dong Biwu (co-serving) | Mao Zedong | ||
21 December 1964 | 31 October 1968 | III | ||||||
Ousted by Mao Zedong during the Cultural Revolution. | ||||||||
– | Soong Ching-ling 宋庆龄 (1893–1981) Shanghai At-large | Dong Biwu 董必武 (1886–1975) Hubei At-large | 31 October 1968 | 24 February 1972 (Soong) 17 January 1975 (Dong) | III | Vacancy by ascension | Mao Zedong | |
Both Soong Ching-ling and Dong Biwu co-served as Acting Chairpersons of the People's Republic of China until the resignation of Soong Ching-ling on 24 February 1972. Dong Biwu served the remainder of the term. |
Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) Constituency | Term of office | NPC | Vice President | Paramount leader | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
– | Soong Ching-ling 宋庆龄 (1893–1981) Shanghai At-large | 16 May 1981 | – | V | – | Deng Xiaoping | |
The first and only Honorary President of the People's Republic of China. |
Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) Constituency | Term of office | NPC | Vice President | Paramount leader | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
3 | Li Xiannian 李先念 (1909–1992) Hubei At-large | 18 June 1983 | 8 April 1988 | VI | Ulanhu | Deng Xiaoping | |
The first President under the 4th Constitution of the People's Republic of China. He started reforms in foreign policy and China began opening to the world. He was first Chinese president who visited USA. He was also the first state president who officially visited North Korea. In 1984, Li met with US President Ronald Reagan during Reagan's visit to China, notably discussing the status of Taiwan with the President. In 1988, Li resigned from his position as President of the People's Republic of China and was replaced by Yang Shangkun. Li was then named Chairman of the National Committee of the CPPCC. [1] | |||||||
4 | Yang Shangkun 杨尚昆 (1907–1998) Sichuan At-large | 8 April 1988 | 27 March 1993 | VII | Wang Zhen | Deng Xiaoping Jiang Zemin | |
The second President under the 4th Constitution of the People's Republic of China. Yang promoted economic reform but opposed political liberalization, a position which Deng Xiaoping eventually came to identify with. Yang reached the height of his political career after the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, but his organized opposition to Jiang Zemin's leadership led Deng to force Yang to retire. | |||||||
5 | Jiang Zemin 江泽民 (1926–2022) Shanghai At-large | 27 March 1993 | 15 March 1998 | VIII | Rong Yiren | Himself | |
15 March 1998 | 15 March 2003 | IX | Hu Jintao | ||||
Under his leadership, China experienced substantial developmental growth with reforms, saw the peaceful return of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom and Macau from Portugal, and improved its relations with the outside world while the Communist Party maintained its tight control over the government. Jiang has been criticized for being too concerned about his personal image at home, and too conciliatory towards Russia and the United States abroad. [2] Served as General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (1989–2002), Chairman of the Central Military Commission (1989–2004), Communist Party secretary of Shanghai (1987–1989). | |||||||
6 | Hu Jintao 胡锦涛 (1942– ) Tibet At-large (until 2008) Zhejiang At-large (from 2008) | 15 March 2003 | 15 March 2008 | X | Zeng Qinghong | Himself | |
15 March 2008 | 14 March 2013 | XI | Xi Jinping | ||||
During his term in office, Hu reintroduced state control in some sectors of the economy that were relaxed by the previous administration, and has been conservative with political reforms. [3] Along with his colleague, Premier Wen Jiabao, Hu presided over nearly a decade of consistent economic growth and development that cemented China as a major world power. He sought to improve socio-economic equality domestically through the Scientific Development Concept, which aimed to build a "Socialist Harmonious Society" that was prosperous and free of social conflict. [4] In foreign policy, Hu advocated for "China's peaceful development", pursuing soft power in international relations and a business-oriented approach to diplomacy. Through Hu's tenure, China's influence in Africa, Latin America, and other developing countries has increased. [5] Served as General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (2002–2012), Chairman of the Central Military Commission (2004–2012), Vice President (1998–2003) and Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission (1999–2004). | |||||||
7 | Xi Jinping 习近平 (1953– ) Shanghai At-large (until 2018) Inner Mongolia At-large (2018–2023) Jiangsu At-large (from 2023) | 14 March 2013 | 17 March 2018 | XII | Li Yuanchao | Himself | |
17 March 2018 | 10 March 2023 | XIII | Wang Qishan | ||||
10 March 2023 | Incumbent | XIV | Han Zheng | ||||
The fifth President under the 4th Constitution of the People's Republic of China. Also serving as General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and Chairman of the Central Military Commission. Served as Vice President (2008–2013) and Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission (2010–2012). Under his leadership, Xi strengthened mass surveillance and launched Xinjiang internment camps. Xi presided over anti-corruption campaign. In foreign policy, Xi advocated for "Wolf warrior diplomacy". Term limits for the president were removed in 2018. |
Chinese unification, also known as Cross-Strait unification or Chinese reunification, is the potential unification of territories currently controlled, or claimed, by the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China ("Taiwan") under one political entity, possibly the formation of a political union between the two republics. Together with full Taiwan independence, unification is one of the main proposals to address questions on the political status of Taiwan, which is a central focus of Cross-Strait relations.
The president of the Republic of China, commonly known as the president of Taiwan, is the head of state of the Republic of China (Taiwan) as well as the commander-in-chief of the Republic of China Armed Forces. The position once had authority of ruling over Mainland China, but its remaining jurisdictions has been limited to Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu, and other smaller islands since the conclusion of the Chinese Civil War.
Yen Chia-kan, also known as C. K. Yen, was a Chinese chemist and Kuomintang politician. He succeeded Chiang Kai-shek as President of the Republic of China on 5 April 1975, being sworn in on 6 April 1975, and served out the remainder of Chiang's term until 20 May 1978.
The history of the Republic of China begins after the Qing dynasty in 1912, when the Xinhai Revolution and the formation of the Republic of China put an end to 2,000 years of imperial rule. The Republic experienced many trials and tribulations after its founding which included being dominated by elements as disparate as warlord generals and foreign powers.
The premier of the Republic of China, officially the president of the Executive Yuan, is the head of the government of the Republic of China of Taiwan and leader of the Executive Yuan. The premier is nominally the principal advisor to the president of the republic and positioned as the head of central government.
The Executive Yuan is the executive branch of the government of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Its leader is premier, who is appointed by president of the Republic of China and serves as the head of government of the nation.
The Four-Stage Theory of the Republic of China or the Theory of the Four Stages of the Republic of China is a viewpoint proposed by Chen Shui-bian, the President of the Republic of China from 2000 to 2008, in 2005. It is a viewpoint regarding the political status of the Republic of China, whose government retreated to the island of Taiwan after the Chinese Civil War in 1949. The main idea of the theory is that the time line for the development of the Republic of China can be classified into four stages, which are:
The Beiyang government was the internationally recognized government of the Republic of China between 1912 and 1928, based in Beijing. It was dominated by the generals of the Beiyang Army, giving it its name.
The Presidential Palace in Nanjing, Jiangsu, China, housed the Office of the President of the Republic of China from 1927 until the capital was relocated to Taipei in 1949. It is now a museum called the China Modern History Museum. It is located at No.292 Changjiang Road, in the Xuanwu District of Nanjing.
The term "Two Chinas" refers to the geopolitical situation where two political entities exist under the name "China".
Presidential elections were held in Taiwan on 14 January 2012. The election was held concurrently with legislative elections. It was the fifth direct election for the President of the Republic of China. Prior to 1996, the President was elected by the ROC's National Assembly and not directly by the people.
Special non-state-to-state relations is a term used by Ma Ying-jeou, the former President of the Republic of China, to describe the nature of relations between the Taiwan Area and the Mainland China Area. President Ma has used the term at least once, although to describe the term as a concept or policy would be premature, especially as it describes those relations loosely in terms of what they are not.
Wang Yitang was a politician and military leader in the Qing Dynasty and Republic of China. He belonged to the Anhui clique and formed the Anfu Club (安福俱樂部). Later he became an important politician in the Provisional Government of the Republic of China and the Reorganized National Government of the Republic of China. His former name was Zhiyang (志洋) and his courtesy names were Shenwu (慎吾) and Shengong (什公). Later, his name was changed to Geng (賡) while his courtesy name was changed to Yitang (一堂). He was also known by his art name Yitang (揖唐). He was born in Hefei, Anhui.
The Republic of China (ROC), commonly known simply as China, was a sovereign state based on Mainland China from 1912 to 1949 prior to the Government of the Republic of China's relocation to Taiwan, where it continues to be based today. The ROC was established on 1 January 1912 during the Xinhai Revolution against the Qing dynasty. On 7 December 1949, the ROC's government ruled by the Kuomintang was moved from Nanjing to Taipei following the KMT's de facto defeat by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in the Chinese Civil War. The CCP-led People's Republic of China (PRC) was established in mainland China upon its official proclamation on 1 October 1949, while the ROC retains actual control over the Taiwan Area with the political status of Taiwan remaining in dispute to this day.
The administrative divisions of China between 1912 and 1949 were established under the regime of the Republic of China government.
Yunnan is a de jure province in the Republic of China according to the ROC law, as the ROC government formally claims to be the legitimate government of the whole China. It was one of the 22 provinces set up during the Qing dynasty. As one of the 6 provinces in South China, the territory it administers was slightly larger than the present-day Yunnan.