Vice President of the People's Republic 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 principal 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. 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. 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.

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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 highest 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. 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, and exercise part of their functions and powers on behalf of 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 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)

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