Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party

Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China
中国共产党中央政治局常务委员会
Information
General SecretaryXi Jinping
Members
Elected byCentral Committee
Responsible to Politburo
Seats7
Meeting place
Qinzheng Hall, Zhongnanhai
Beijing, China[1][2]
Standing Committee of the Central Politburo of the Communist Party of China
Simplified Chinese中国共产党中央政治局常务委员会
Traditional Chinese中國共產黨中央政治局常務委員會
Literal meaningChina Communist Party Central Politburo Standing Committee
Abbreviation(s)
Simplified Chinese中央政治局常委会
Traditional Chinese中央政治局常委會
Literal meaningCentral 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). Historically it has been composed of five to eleven members, and currently has seven members. Its officially mandated purpose is to conduct policy discussions and make decisions on major issues when the Politburo, a larger decision-making body, is not in session. According to the party's constitution, the General Secretary of the Central Committee must also be a member of the Politburo Standing Committee.[3]

According to the party's Constitution, the party's Central Committee elects the Politburo Standing Committee after the election of the full Politburo. In practice, however, the method by which membership is determined has evolved over time. After the election of the Politburo, the Politburo chooses the Politburo Standing Committee through secretive negotiations. The Standing Committee functions as the epicenter of the CCP's power and leadership, and its membership has ranged from five to nine people.[4] During the Mao Zedong era, Mao himself selected and expelled members, while during the Deng Xiaoping era consultations among party elders on the Central Advisory Commission determined membership. Since the 1990s, Politburo membership has been determined through deliberations and straw polls by incumbent and retired members of both the Politburo and the Standing Committee.[5][6]

The PSC is theoretically responsible to the Politburo, which is in turn responsible to the larger Central Committee. In practice, the Standing Committee is supreme over its parent bodies. Additionally, because China is a one-party state, Standing Committee decisions de facto have the force of law. Its membership is closely watched by both the national media as well as political watchers abroad. Historically, the role of the PSC has varied and evolved. During the Cultural Revolution, for example, the PSC had little power.

The membership of the PSC is strictly ranked in protocol sequence. Historically, the General Secretary (or Party Chairman) has been ranked first; the rankings of other leaders have varied over time. Since the 1990s, the General Secretary, President, Premier, first-ranked Vice Premier, Chairman of the National People's Congress, the Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, the party's top anti-graft body, and the first secretary of the CCP Secretariat have consistently also been members of the Politburo Standing Committee.[7] The portfolios of additional members varied.

  1. ^ "天道酬勤绘沧桑——著名山水画家张登堂". gallery.artron.net. 瀚雅画廊. Archived from the original on 10 December 2018. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  2. ^ Li (李), Nanyang (南央). "鲍彤再看六四(二):我是如何被抓进秦城的". cn.nytimes.com. Archived from the original on 10 December 2018. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  3. ^ "16th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, 2002". China Internet Information Center. Archived from the original on 18 October 2007. Retrieved 26 March 2013.
  4. ^ "The Chinese Communist Party". Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
  5. ^ Li, Cheng (2016). Chinese Politics in the Xi Jinping Era: Reassessing Collective Leadership. Brookings Institution Press. ISBN 9780815726937. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
  6. ^ Kang Lim, Benjamin (20 November 2017). "Exclusive: China's backroom powerbrokers block reform candidates - sources". Reuters. Archived from the original on 19 October 2017. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference CF111312 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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