Vice President of China

The office originated in the Republican era when Li Yuanhong became the provisional vice president of China after the founding of the Republic following the 1911 Revolution. It was abolished in 1917, but restored in 1947, with the adoption of the Constitution of the Republic of China. The ROC post has continued to exist in Taiwan following the government's retreat to the island. The vice presidency in the People's Republic of China was first established with the adoption of the Constitution in 1954 by the National People's Congress (NPC), 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 vice president is elected by the National People's Congress, the country's supreme organ of state power, and serves at its pleasure. According to the constitution, the principal duty of the vice president is assisting the president in their duties. The vice president may exercise part of the functions and powers of the president on the president's behalf when so entrusted by the president. The vice president assumes the presidency in case the office becomes vacant until a new president is elected by the NPC. The importance of the vice presidency has varied with the officeholders; some vice presidents have been members of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s Politburo or Politburo Standing Committee. The vice president has also generally assumed a more major role in China's foreign relations, and has usually served as a member of CCP's Central Foreign Affairs Commission and Central Leading Group on Hong Kong and Macau Affairs. The incumbent vice president of China is Han Zheng, who took office in 10 March 2023.

History

The office was first established under the Beiyang government when Li Yuanhong became the first vice president of the country when the Republic was founded in 1912. The post was abolished in 1917, but it was restored after the end of the Nationalist government as Li Zongren became the first modern vice president under the 1947 Constitution of the Republic of China. The office of the vice president along with the government of the Republic of China, was relocated to Taiwan in 1949, where it exists today.

The PRC post, which began as the state vice chairman was first established under the 1954 Constitution, together with the chairman. 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. 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.

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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.

Election

According to the Organic Law of the National People's Congress (NPC), constitutionally China's supreme organ of state power, the vice president is nominated by the NPC Presidium, the Congress's executive organ. However, the nomination is effectively made by the Chinese Communist Party, with the decisions being made among Party leaders. Candidates for top positions including the vice president 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 election by the Congress, with the Presidium presenting the nominee during the NPC session. 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.

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. The length of the vice president's term of office is the same as the NPC, which is 5 years. Since 2018, the vice president is required to recite the constitutional oath of office before assuming office.

Powers

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

In practice, the position of the vice president is mostly ceremonial; Vice presidents Hu Jintao, Zeng Qinghong 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-ranking member of the CCP Secretariat, in charge of party affairs. Since 2018, the vice presidency has been held by a former member of the Politburo Standing Committee.

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/General secretaryship of Xi Jinping

Central People's Government (1949–1954)

Vice Chairmen of the Central People's Government: (co-serving, 1 October 1949 – 27 September 1954)

Zhu De
Liu Shaoqi
Song Qingling
Li Jishen
Zhang Lan
Gao Gang (until his suicide on 17 August 1954)