{{Short description|Senior position in the State Council of China}} {{other uses}} {{Infobox official post | post = State Councillor | body = the People's Republic of China | native_name = {{nobold|{{lang|zh-hans|中华人民共和国国务委员}}}} | insignia = 中華人民共和國國徽.svg | insigniacaption = National Emblem of China | insigniasize = 100px | flag = Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg | flagsize = 125px | flagcaption = Flag of China | image = | incumbent = Wang Xiaohong<br>Wu Zhenglong<br>Shen Yiqin | incumbentsince = 12 March 2023 | residence = Zhongnanhai | seat = Beijing | style = | reports_to = Premier of the State Council | nominator = Premier of the State Council | appointer = President | termlength = Five years, renewable once consecutively | formation = {{start date and age|df=y|1982|5|4}} | constituting_instrument = Constitution of China | precursor = | inaugural = | website = [http://english.gov.cn State Council] | department = State Council of the People's Republic of China | appointer_qualified = pursuant to a National People's Congress decision | member_of = {{ubl|Plenary Meeting of the State Council||Executive Meeting of the State Council}} | status = Deputy national-level official }} {{Politics of China |expanded = Executive }}
A '''State Councillor of the People's Republic of China''' ({{lang-zh|c=中华人民共和国国务委员|p=guówù wěiyuán}}) serves as a senior vice leader within the State Council and shares responsibilities with the Vice Premiers in assisting the Premier in the administration and coordination of governmental affairs.
== History == The position was created during the May 1982 restructuring of the State Council, when eleven state councillors were appointed, ten of whom were vice premiers until then.<ref name="Li1998">{{cite book |first = Jinshan |last = Li |title = Bureaucratic Restructure in Reforming China: A Redistribution of Political Power |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=MXnVCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA17 |date = 16 December 1998 |publisher = World Scientific |isbn = 978-981-4495-43-1 |page = 17 }}</ref>
== Role == The state councillors are nominated by the premier, who are then approved by the National People's Congress and appointed by the president.<ref name=":022">{{Cite web |title=Constitution of the People's Republic of China |url=http://www.npc.gov.cn/englishnpc/constitution2019/201911/1f65146fb6104dd3a2793875d19b5b29.shtml |access-date=2022-08-08 |website=National People's Congress}}</ref> Candidates for top positions including the state councillors are first approved first by the CCP's Politburo Standing Committee, and then by its Politburo, then approved in a special plenary session the Central Committee just before the NPC session for vote by the Congress, with the premier nominating the candidates during the NPC session.<ref name=":8222">{{Cite web |last=Liao |first=Zewei |date=2023-03-04 |title=NPC 2023: How China Selects Its State Leaders for the Next Five Years |url=https://npcobserver.com/2023/03/china-npc-2023-state-leadership-transition/ |access-date=2023-11-03 |website=NPC Observer}}</ref>
State councillors are members of the executive meetings of the State Council, along with the premier, vice premiers, and the secretary-general.<ref name=":022" /> The state councilors selected once every five years and are limited to two terms.<ref name=":022" /> The state councillors are tasked with assisting the premier, as well as be entrusted by the premier to take charge of work in certain fields or take certain special tasks.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=13 December 2007 |title=Organic Law of the State Council of the People's Republic of China |url=http://www.npc.gov.cn/zgrdw/englishnpc/Law/2007-12/13/content_1384048.htm |access-date=19 June 2023 |website=National People's Congress}}</ref> State councillors can also represent the State Council on foreign visits.<ref name=":0" />
State councillors often accompany China's higher dignitaries on trips abroad, as was the case with State Councillor Tang Jiaxuan from 2003 to 2008, and Dai Bingguo from 2008 to 2013. Dai also became China's representative at the 2009 G8 summit in Italy when President Hu Jintao decided to cut short his attendance to return to China in order to deal with the July 2009 Ürümqi riots.
== List of state councillors == ; 5th State Council (1982–1983) The position was created during the May 1982 restructuring of the State Council. Eleven state councillors were appointed, ten of whom were vice premiers until then, the only exception being Zhang Jingfu.<ref name="Li1998" /> # Yu Qiuli # Geng Biao # Fang Yi # Gu Mu # Kang Shi'en # Chen Muhua # Bo Yibo # Ji Pengfei # Huang Hua # Zhang Jingfu # Zhang Aiping
; 6th State Council (1983–1988) # Fang Yi # Gu Mu # Kang Shi'en # Chen Muhua # Ji Pengfei # Zhang Jingfu # Zhang Aiping # Wu Xueqian # Wang Bingqian # Song Ping # Song Jian
; 7th State Council (1988–1993) # Li Tieying # Qin Jiwei # Wang Bingqian # Song Jian # Wang Fang # Zou Jiahua # Li Guixian # Chen Xitong # Chen Junsheng # Qian Qichen
; 8th State Council (1993–1998) # Li Tieying # Chi Haotian # Song Jian # Li Guixian # Chen Junsheng # Ismail Amat # Peng Peiyun # Luo Gan - Secretary-General of the State Council
; 9th State Council (1998–2003) {| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center" |120x120px | | |120x120px | |- ! width="140" | Chi Haotian ! width="140" | Luo Gan ! width="140" | Ismail Amat ! width="140" | Wu Yi ! width="140" | Wang Zhongyu |- |{{small|Minister of National Defence}} |{{small|Minister of Public Security}} |{{small|Ethnic affairs, etc.}} |{{small|Trade, etc.}} |{{small|Secretary-General<br />of the State Council}} |}
; 10th State Council (2003–2008) {| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center" |120x120px |120x120px |120x120px |120x120px |120x120px |- ! width="140" | Zhou Yongkang ! width="140" | Cao Gangchuan ! width="140" | Tang Jiaxuan ! width="140" | Hua Jianmin ! width="140" | Chen Zhili |- |{{small|Minister of Public Security}} |{{small|Minister of National Defence}} |{{small|Foreign affairs}} |{{small|Secretary-General<br />of the State Council}} |{{small|Education, sci-tech, culture, health, sport}} |}
; 11th State Council (2008–2013) {| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center" |120x120px |120x120px |120x120px |120x120px |120x120px |- ! width="140" | Liu Yandong ! width="140" | Ma Kai ! width="140" | Liang Guanglie ! width="140" | Meng Jianzhu ! width="140" | Dai Bingguo |- |{{small|Education, sci-tech, culture, sport}} |{{small|Secretary-General<br />of the State Council}} |{{small|Minister of National Defence}} |{{small|Minister of Public Security}} |{{small|Foreign affairs}} |}
; 12th State Council (2013–2018)<ref>[http://www.npc.gov.cn/englishnpc/news/Events/2013-03/16/content_1787503.htm NPC endorses new cabinet lineup]</ref> {| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center" |120x120px |120x120px |120x120px |120x120px |120x120px |- ! width="140" | Yang Jing ! width="140" | Chang Wanquan ! width="140" | Yang Jiechi ! width="140" | Guo Shengkun ! width="140" | Wang Yong |- |{{small|Secretary-General of the State Council until 24 February 2018}} |{{small|Minister of National Defence}} |{{small|Foreign affairs}} |{{small|Minister of Public Security}} |{{small|Disaster response, etc.}} |}
; 13th State Council (2018–2023) {| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center" |120x120px |120x120px |120x120px |120x120px |120x120px |- ! width="140" | Wei Fenghe ! width="140" | Wang Yong ! width="140" | Wang Yi ! width="140" | Xiao Jie ! width="140" | Zhao Kezhi |- |{{small|Minister of National Defence}} | {{small|Disaster response, etc.}} |{{small|Minister of Foreign Affairs}} |{{small|Secretary-General of the State Council}} |{{small|Minister of Public Security}} |}
; 14th State Council (2023–present) From the 1st Session of the 14th National People's Congress to the 6th Session of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress<ref>{{cite web |title=China's top legislature concludes standing committee session |url=https://english.news.cn/20231024/d070e246e8bd4378a5b6a35e75b47d27/c.html |publisher=Xinhua |access-date=28 December 2023 |date=24 October 2023}}</ref> {| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center" |120x120px |120x120px | |120x120px |120x120px |- ! width="140" | Li Shangfu ! width="140" | Wang Xiaohong ! width="140" | Wu Zhenglong ! width="140" | Shen Yiqin ! width="140" | Qin Gang |- |{{small|Minister of National Defence until 25 October 2023}} |{{small|Minister of Public Security}} |{{small|Secretary-General of the State Council}} | {{small|Civil affairs, human resources, etc.}} |{{small|Minister of Foreign Affairs until 25 July 2023}} |} Since the 6th Session of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress {| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center" |106x106px | |120x120px |- ! width="140" | Wang Xiaohong ! width="140" | Wu Zhenglong ! width="140" | Shen Yiqin |- |{{small|Minister of Public Security}} |{{small|Secretary-General of the State Council}} | {{small|Civil affairs, human resources, etc.}} |}
== References == {{Reflist}}{{State councillors}} {{State Council of the People's Republic of China}} {{People's Republic of China politics}}
Category:State councillors of China Category:Deputy national-level official