Vice President of the People's Republic of China
中华人民共和国副主席
National Emblem of the People's Republic of China
Flag of the People's Republic of China
Incumbent
Han Zheng
since 10 March 2023
StyleMr Vice President (副主席)
(informal)
His Excellency (阁下)
(diplomatic)
TypeDeputy state representative
ResidenceZhongnanhai
SeatZhongnanhai West Building, Beijing[1]
NominatorPresidium of the National People's Congress
AppointerNational People's Congress
Term lengthFive years, renewable
Constituting instrumentConstitution of the People's Republic of China
Inaugural holderZhu De
Formation27 September 1954 (1954-09-27)
AbolishedBetween 1975 and 1982
Unofficial namesState Vice Chairman
Vice President of the People's Republic of China
Simplified Chinese中华人民共和国副主席
Alternative Chinese name
Simplified Chinese国家副主席

The vice president of the People's Republic of China, commonly called the vice president of China, is the deputy to the president of the People's Republic of China, the state representative of China.

The office was first established in the Constitution in 1954, with the official English-language translation of "state vice chairman". The post of vice chairman was abolished under the Constitution of 1975 together with the chairman, then reinstated in the Constitution of 1982. Since 1982, the title's official English-language translation has been "vice president", although the Chinese title remains unchanged. The new constitution stipulated that the vice president could not serve more than two consecutive terms; the term limits were removed in 2018.

Under the current constitution, the president serves at the pleasure of the National People's Congress (NPC), the legislature. According to the constitution, the principle duty of the vice president is assisting the president in their duties. The vice president also assumes the presidency in case the office becomes vacant until a new president is elected by the NPC. The incumbent vice president of China is Han Zheng, who took office in 10 March 2023.

History

The office of state vice chairman was first established under the 1954 Constitution, together with the chairman.[2] It was, along with the state chairman, abolished in the new Constitution adopted by the 4th National People's Congress (NPC) in 1975.

The office, now called the vice president, was restored in the 1982 constitution together with the presidency. The new constitution mandated term limits for the office, stipulating the president and vice president could not serve more than two consecutive terms.

Vice President Li Yuanchao was a member of the CCP Politburo until 2017, but not the Standing Committee.

On March 11, 2018, the first session of the 13th National People's Congress, by a vote of 2,958 in favor, two opposed and three abstaining, passed a constitutional amendment that removed the previous term limits for the president and the vice president.[3] Wang Qishan was elected as the vice president during the session; he was a retired member of the Politburo Standing Committee at the time of his ascension. Han Zheng, who succeeded Wang Qishan as the vice president in 2023, was also a retired member of the politburo standing committee at the time of his ascension.[4]

Selection

Eligibility

Article 79 of the Constitution sets three qualifications for being elected for the vice presidency. To serve as president, one must:

  • be a Chinese citizen;
  • have the right to vote and stand for election;
  • be at least 45 years old.[5]

Election

According to the Organic Law of the National People's Congress (NPC), constitutionally China's highest organ of state power, the vice president is nominated by the NPC Presidium, the Congress's executive organ.[6] However, the nomination is effectively made by the Chinese Communist Party, with the decisions being made among Party leaders.[7] Although the Presidium could theoretically nominate multiple candidates for the presidency, leading the election to be competitive, it has always nominated a single candidate for the office.[7]

After the nomination, the vice president is elected by the NPC, which also has the power to remove the vice president and other state officers from office. Elections and removals are decided by majority vote.[5] The length of the vice president's term of office is the same as the NPC, which is 5 years.[5] Since 2018, the vice president is required to recite the constitutional oath of office before assuming office.[7]

Powers

The vice president's duties constitutionally include assisting the president, and exercise part of their functions and powers on behalf of the president.[5] The vice president also becomes the president in case the office becomes vacant until a new president is elected by the NPC.[5] In case the vice presidency becomes vacant, the NPC elects a new vice president.[6]

In practice, the position of the vice president is mostly ceremonial;[4] Vice presidents Zeng Qinghong, Hu Jintao, and Xi Jinping have been members of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Central Secretariat, the country's main decision making bodies; these three served concurrently as the first-ranked Secretary of the Secretariat, in charge of party affairs.

The vice president may play a major role in foreign affairs. For instance, the vice president generally sits on the Central Foreign Affairs Commission, a policy coordination body of the CCP. The vice president has also typically sits on the Central Leading Group on Hong Kong and Macau Affairs. Therefore, while the vice president may not actually have substantive powers as defined in the Constitution, the office nonetheless carries significance and prestige. The holders of the office have all been individuals with a degree of political clout.

List of vice presidents

Generations of leadership

  First Administration   Second Administration   Third Administration   Hu–Wen Administration   Xi–Li Administration/Xi Jinping Administration

Central People's Government (1949–1954)

Vice Chairmen of the Central People's Government
(co-serving, 1 October 1949 – 27 September 1954)
  1. Zhu De
  2. Liu Shaoqi
  3. Song Qingling
  4. Li Jishen
  5. Zhang Lan
  6. Gao Gang (until his suicide on 17 August 1954)

The 1st Constitution (1954–1975)

Vice Chairmen of the People's Republic of China
Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Constituency		 Term of office NPC Chairman
1 Zhu De
朱德
(1886–1976)
Sichuan at-large		 27 September 1954 27 April 1959 I Mao Zedong
The first Vice Chairman of the People's Republic of China.
2 Song Qingling
宋庆龄
(1893–1981)
Shanghai at-large		 Dong Biwu
董必武
(1886–1975)
Hubei at-large		 27 April 1959 17 January 1975 II · III Liu Shaoqi
Served jointly as Vice Chairmen.
Vacancy by ascension and post abolished

The 4th Constitution (1982–present)

Vice President of the People's Republic of China
Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Constituency		 Term of office NPC President
3 Ulanhu
乌兰夫
(1907–1988)
Inner Mongolia at-large		 18 June 1983 8 April 1988 VI Li Xiannian
An ethnic Mongol and former Chairman of Inner Mongolia, Ulanhu served as the first vice president under the 4th Constitution of the People's Republic of China.
4 Wang Zhen
王震
(1909–1993)
Xinjiang at-large		 8 April 1988 12 March 1993 VII Yang Shangkun
Wang Zhen, a Communist military leader, was perhaps best known for leading the People's Liberation Army into Xinjiang at the foundation of the People's Republic. In 1988 Wang assumed the title of Vice-President in an honorary capacity, after his failed effort to put the conservative Deng Liqun in the position of General Secretary. Wang was the second vice president under the 4th Constitution of the People's Republic of China. He died in office.
5 Rong Yiren
荣毅仁
(1916–2005)
Shanghai at-large		 12 March 1993 15 March 1998 VIII Jiang Zemin
A member of the China Democratic National Construction Association, a recognized non-Communist political party in China, Rong served as the third vice president under the 4th Constitution of the People's Republic of China.
6 Hu Jintao
胡锦涛
(born 1942)
Guizhou at-large		 15 March 1998 15 March 2003 IX Jiang Zemin
Hu, the former party chief of Guizhou province and the Tibet Autonomous Region, served as the fourth vice president under the 4th Constitution of the People's Republic of China. In his capacity as Vice-President, Hu was probably best known for handling the aftermath of the United States bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade. Hu was the first member of the Politburo Standing Committee to assume the post since the adoption of the 1982 constitution. In 2003, Hu became the first vice president to become president.
7 Zeng Qinghong
曾庆红
(born 1939)
Jiangxi at-large		 15 March 2003 15 March 2008 X Hu Jintao
Zeng Qinghong, who had come to prominence as a political aide to Jiang Zemin, served as the fifth vice president under the 4th Constitution of the People's Republic of China. Also a member of the Politburo Standing Committee, Zeng received an unusually high number of votes against him during his election for the vice-presidency.
8 Xi Jinping
习近平
(born 1953)
Shanghai at-large		 15 March 2008 14 March 2013 XI Hu Jintao
Xi, the former party chief of Zhejiang, then Shanghai, became the sixth vice president under the 4th Constitution of the People's Republic of China and the second vice president to become president. Also a member of the Politburo Standing Committee.
9 Li Yuanchao
李源潮
(born 1950)
Jiangsu at-large		 14 March 2013 17 March 2018 XII Xi Jinping
Li, the former party chief of Jiangsu, became the seventh vice president under the 4th Constitution of the People's Republic of China. A member of the Politburo. In his capacity as Vice-President, Li represented China at numerous international events of symbolic significance, such as the State Memorial Service of Nelson Mandela, and the state funeral of Lee Kuan Yew.
10 Wang Qishan
王岐山
(born 1948)
Hunan at-large		 17 March 2018 10 March 2023 XIII Xi Jinping
Wang, a retired member of the Politburo Standing Committee and the former Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection – China's top anti-corruption enforcer, was selected for the vice president post ostensibly for his experience in foreign affairs. Wang's assuming the post again made the vice-presidency a highly relevant office.
11 Han Zheng
韩正
(born 1954)
Shanghai at-large		 10 March 2023 Incumbent XIV Xi Jinping
Han, a retired member of the Politburo Standing Committee and the former first-ranked Vice-Premier of the State Council, was selected for the vice president post.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Tian, Baojun. 建国后朱德元帅的住房：还不如苏联集体农庄主席. ifeng.com. Phoenix New Media Limited. Retrieved 2018-02-17.
  2. ↑ 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.
  3. ↑ "China Approves 'president for Life' Change". BBC News. 11 March 2018. Archived from the original on 11 March 2018. Retrieved 11 March 2018.
  4. 1 2 Ma, Josephine (10 March 2023). "Meet Han Zheng, the man just appointed China's new vice-president". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "Constitution of the People's Republic of China". National People's Congress. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  6. 1 2 "Organic Law of the National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China". National People's Congress. 11 March 2021. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  7. 1 2 3 Liao, Zewei (2023-03-04). "NPC 2023: How China Selects Its State Leaders for the Next Five Years". NPC Observer. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
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