Head of the Chinese Communist Party
The
General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party
is the
leader
of the
Chinese Communist Party
(CCP), the
sole ruling party
of the
People's Republic of China
(PRC). Since 1989, the CCP general secretary has been the
paramount leader
of the PRC.
According to the
CCP constitution
, the general secretary is elected during a plenary session of the
Central Committee
. The general secretary serves as an
ex officio
member
of the
Politburo Standing Committee
(PSC), China's
de facto
top decision-making body. The general secretary is also the head of the
Secretariat
, and sets the agenda of Central Committee,
Politburo
and PSC meetings. Since the 1990s, the holder of the post has been, except for transitional periods, the
president of China
, making the holder the head of state, and the
chairman of the Central Military Commission
, the
supreme commander
of the
People's Liberation Army
.
[note 1]
As the leader of the world's largest economy by
GDP purchasing power parity (PPP)
, the second largest economy by
GDP nominal
, the
largest military
in the world by personnel, a recognized
nuclear weapons state
,
U.N. Security Council permanent member
, and a
potential superpower
, the general secretary is considered to be one of the world's most powerful political figures.
[3]
The incumbent general secretary is
Xi Jinping
, who took office on 15 November 2012 and was re-elected twice on 25 October 2017 and 23 October 2022. The last person to rule the country for more than two terms was
Mao Zedong
, who served as
Chairman of the CCP Central Committee
from 1943 until
his death
in 1976.
History
[
edit
]
The post was established by the
12th Central Committee
in 1982, replacing the post of Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party. Since its revival in 1982, the post of general secretary has been the highest office in the CCP, though it did not become the most powerful post until
Deng Xiaoping
's retirement in 1990.
[4]
Since the mid-1990s, starting with
Jiang Zemin
, the general secretary has traditionally also held the post of
president of China
.
[4]
While the presidency is a ceremonial post, it is customary for the general secretary to assume the presidency to confirm his status as
head of state
. It has additionally been held together with the post of
chairman of the Central Military Commission
, making the holder the
supreme commander
of the
People's Liberation Army
.
[4]
Election
[
edit
]
The CCP general secretary is nominally elected by a plenary meeting of the
Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party
from among the members of the
Politburo Standing Committee
.
[5]
In practice, the
de facto
method of selecting the general secretary has varied over time. The two most recent general secretaries,
Hu Jintao
and
Xi Jinping
, were first elevated to the position of first Secretary of the Secretariat in the same process used to determine the membership and roles of the CCP Politburo Standing Committee. Under this informal process, the first secretary would be chosen during deliberations by incumbent Politburo members and retired Politburo Standing Committee members in the lead up to a
Party Congress
. The first secretary would later succeed the retiring general secretary as part of a generational leadership transition at the subsequent party congress.
Powers and position
[
edit
]
The powers and roles of the general secretary are vaguely defined, with no term limits or written rules for selecting a successor.
[4]
However, as China is a
one-party state
, the general secretary holds ultimate power and authority over state and government,
[6]
and is usually considered the "
paramount leader
" of China.
[7]
However, most of the people until Xi Jinping who have held the post have held far less power than Mao Zedong.
[8]
According to the
Constitution of the Chinese Communist Party
, the general secretary serves as an
ex officio
member
of the Politburo Standing Committee.
[9]
According to regulations of the CCP, the general secretary is responsible for convening the meetings of the Politburo and the Politburo Standing Committee. The general secretary additionally presides over the work of the Secretariat. The general secretary also sets the topics of Central Committee, Politburo and Politburo Standing Committee meetings.
[10]
See also
[
edit
]
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
Xi Jinping was named general secretary of the CCP and took over the chairmanship of the Central Military Commission from Hu Jintao in November 2012.
[2]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"文革后的中南海:中央?事效率最高的?期"
.
LYWZC.com
. Comsenz Inc. Archived from
the original
on 8 February 2018
. Retrieved
7 February
2018
.
.
- ^
"Who's Who in China's New Communist Party Leadership Lineup"
.
Bloomberg News
. 15 November 2012.
Archived
from the original on 24 October 2014
. Retrieved
1 December
2019
.
- ^
McGregor, Richard
(21 August 2022).
"Xi Jinping's Radical Secrecy"
.
The Atlantic
.
Archived
from the original on 21 August 2022
. Retrieved
12 September
2022
.
;
Sheridan, Michael.
"How Xi Jinping became the world's most powerful man"
.
The Times
.
ISSN
0140-0460
.
Archived
from the original on 6 June 2024
. Retrieved
12 September
2022
.
;
O'Connor, Tom (3 February 2022).
"Xi and Putin, two of world's most powerful men, to meet in China, US absent"
.
Newsweek
.
Archived
from the original on 3 February 2022
. Retrieved
12 September
2022
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
Mai, Jun (8 May 2021).
"Who leads the Communist Party?"
.
South China Morning Post
.
Archived
from the original on 14 November 2023
. Retrieved
17 January
2023
.
- ^
"中共中央印?《中?共??中央委??工作?例》"
[The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China issued the "Regulations on Work of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China"].
State Council of the People's Republic of China
. 12 October 2020.
Archived
from the original on 26 September 2023
. Retrieved
27 September
2023
.
- ^
Buckley, Chris; Wu, Adam (10 March 2018).
"Ending Term Limits for China's Xi Is a Big Deal. Here's Why"
.
The New York Times
.
Archived
from the original on 12 March 2018
. Retrieved
1 December
2019
.
In China, the political job that matters most is the general secretary of the Communist Party. The party controls the military and domestic security forces, and sets the policies that the government carries out. China's presidency lacks the authority of the American and French presidencies.
- ^
Hernandez, Javier C. (25 October 2017).
"China's 'Chairman of Everything': Behind Xi Jinping's Many Titles"
.
The New York Times
.
Archived
from the original on 26 October 2017
. Retrieved
1 December
2019
.
Mr. Xi's most important title is general secretary, the most powerful position in the Communist Party. In China's one-party system, this ranking gives him virtually unchecked authority over the government.
- ^
Phillips, Tom (24 October 2017).
"Xi Jinping becomes most powerful leader since Mao with China's change to constitution"
.
The Guardian
.
ISSN
0261-3077
.
Archived
from the original on 24 October 2017
. Retrieved
16 January
2020
.
- ^
"Chapter III Central Organizations of the Party ? Article 22"
.
China Internet Information Center
.
Archived
from the original on 18 October 2007
. Retrieved
26 March
2013
.
- ^
"中共中央印?《中?共??中央委??工作?例》"
[The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China issued the "Regulations on Work of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China"].
State Council of the People's Republic of China
. 12 October 2020.
Archived
from the original on 26 September 2023
. Retrieved
27 September
2023
.
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