| State Council of the People's Republic of China |
|
|---|---|
| 中华人民共和国国务院 | |
| Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó Guówùyuàn | |
| Emblem of the People's Republic of China | |
| Agency overview | |
| Formed | 27 September 1954 |
| Preceding agency | Government Administration Council of the Central People's Government |
| Jurisdiction | Government of the People's Republic of China |
| Headquarters | Zhongnanhai, Beijing |
| Agency executives | Wen Jiabao, Premier Li Keqiang Hui Liangyu Zhang Dejiang Wang Qishan, Vice-Premiers |
| Website | |
| http://english.gov.cn | |
| People's Republic of China |
This article is part of the series: |
|
|
|
Ideology
|
|
Other countries · Atlas |
The State Council of the People's Republic of China (simplified Chinese: 国务院; traditional Chinese: 國務院; pinyin: Guówùyuàn), which is largely synonymous with the Central People's Government (Chinese: 中央人民政府) after 1954, is the chief administrative authority of the People's Republic of China. [1] It is chaired by the Premier and includes the heads of each governmental department and agency.[2] Currently, the council has 35 members: the premier, one executive vice premier, three vice premiers, five state councilors (of whom two are also ministers), and 25 additional ministers and chairs of major agencies.[3] In the politics of the People's Republic of China, the Central People's Government forms one of three interlocking branches of power, the others being the Communist Party of China and the People's Liberation Army. The State Council directly oversees the various subordinate People's Governments in the provinces, and in practice maintains an interlocking membership with the top levels of the Communist Party of China creating a fused center of power.
The State Council meets once every six months. Between meetings it is guided by a standing committee which meets weekly. The standing committee includes the premier, one executive vice premier, three vice premiers, and five other state councilors (one of whom serves as Secretary General of the State Council, and two of whom concurrently serve as ministers).
The vice-premiers and state councilors are nominated by the premier, and appointed by the president with National People's Congress' (NPC) approval. The premier is nominated and appointed by the president with NPC approval. Incumbents may serve two successive five-year terms.
Each vice premier oversees certain areas of administration. Each State Councilor performs duties as designated by the Premier. The secretary-general heads the General Office which handles the day-to-day work of the State Council. The secretary-general has relatively little power and should not be confused with the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China.
Each ministry supervises one sector. Commissions outrank ministries and set policies for and coordinate the related activities of different administrative organs. Offices deal with matters of ongoing concern. Bureaus and administrations rank below ministries.
In addition to the 27 ministries, there are 38 centrally administered government organizations that report directly to the state council. The heads of these organizations attend full meetings of the state committee on an irregular basis.
Although the State Council is formally responsible to the NPC and its Standing Committee in conducting a wide range of government functions both at the national and at the local levels, in practice the NPC's authority is rather limited, although it not completely non-existent. The State Council acts according by virtue of the authority of the NPC, and there has been at least one case where the NPC has outright rejected an initiative of the State Council and a few cases where the State Council has withdrawn or greatly modified a proposal in response to NPC opposition.
The State Council and the Communist Party of China are also tightly interlocked. Most of the members of the State Council are high level party members. Although, as party members, they are supposed to follow party instructions, because they tend to be senior members of the party they also have large amounts of influence over what those instructions are. This results in a system which is unlike the Soviet practice in which the Party effectively controlled the state. Rather the party and state are fused at this level of government. The members of the State Council derive their authority from being members of the state, while as members of the Party they coordinate their activities and determine key decisions such as the naming of personnel.
Although there were attempts to separate the party and state in the late 1980s under Zhao Ziyang and have the Party in charge of formulating policy and the State Council executing policy, these efforts were largely abandoned in the early 1990s.
As the chief administrative organ of government, its main functions are to formulate administrative measures, issue decisions and orders, and monitor their implementation; draft legislative bills for submission to the NPC or its Standing Committee; and prepare the economic plan and the state budget for deliberation and approval by the NPC. The State Council is the functional center of state power and clearinghouse for government initiatives at all levels. With the government's emphasis on economic modernization, the State Council clearly acquired additional importance and influence.
The State Council controls the Ministry for National Defense but does not control the People's Liberation Army, which is instead controlled by the Central Military Commission.
| Office | Head | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| Premier | Wen Jiabao | 2003– |
| First Vice Premier (Financial Affairs) | Huang Ju Li Keqiang |
2003–2007 2008– |
| Vice Premier (Foreign Affairs and Commerce) | Wu Yi Wang Qishan |
2003–2008 2008– |
| Vice Premier (Economy) | Zeng Peiyan Zhang Dejiang |
2002–2008 2008– |
| Vice Premier (Agriculture) | Hui Liangyu | 2003– |
| Secretary General | Hua Jianmin Ma Kai |
2003–2008 2008– |
| Finance Minister | Jin Renqing Xie Xuren |
2003–2007 2007– |
| Foreign Minister | Li Zhaoxing Yang Jiechi |
2003–2007 2007– |
| Defense Minister | Cao Gangchuan Liang Guanglie |
2003–2007 2007– |
| Minister of Education | Zhou Ji Yuan Guiren |
2003–2009 2009 |
| Minister of Commerce | Bo Xilai Chen Deming |
2004–2007 2007– |
| Health Minister | Zhang Wenkang Wu Yi Gao Qiang Chen Zhu |
1998–2003 2003–2005 2005–2007 2007- |
| Minister of National Development and Reform Commission |
Ma Kai Zhang Ping |
2003–2008 2008– |
| Minister of Railways | Liu Zhijun | 2003– |
| Minister of Civil Affairs | Li Xueju | 2003– |
| Minister of Labour | Tian Chengping | 2005– |
| Governor of the People's Bank of China | Zhou Xiaochuan | 2005– |
|
|||||||
|
|||||||||||