State councillor

The state councilor (Chinese: 国务委员; pinyin: guówù wěiyuán) is a high-ranking position within the State Council of the People's Republic of China, the executive organ of China's central government (comparable to a cabinet). It ranks immediately below the Vice-Premiers and above the Ministers of various departments. 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.

Role

In theory, state councillors are to assist the Premier and Vice-Premiers to oversee various government portfolios. They can also represent the State Council (and in turn, China's government) on foreign visits. state councillors are part of a Standing Committee of the State Council, alongside the Premier, Vice-Premiers, and the Secretary General of the State Council. The organ holds weekly meetings. In practice, a state councillor's portfolios can be very wide-ranging. State councillors often accompany China's higher dignitaries on trips abroad - as was the case with State Councillor Tang Jiaxuan from 2003–08, and Dai Bingguo from 2008–present. 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 Urumqi riots.

List of state councilors

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.

1. Yu Qiuli
2. Geng Biao
3. Fang Yi
4. Gu Mu
5. Kang Shi'en
6. Chen Muhua
7. Bo Yibo
8. Ji Pengfei
9. Huang Hua
10. Zhang Jingfu
11. Zhang Aiping

6th State Council (1983–1988)

1. Fang Yi
2. Gu Mu
3. Kang Shi'en
4. Chen Muhua
5. Ji Pengfei
6. Zhang Jingfu
7. Zhang Aiping
8. Wu Xueqian
9. Wang Bingqian
10. Song Ping
11. Song Jian

7th State Council (1988–1993)

1. Li Tieying
2. Qin Jiwei
3. Wang Bingqian
4. Song Jian
5. Wang Fang
6. Zou Jiahua
7. Li Guixian
8. Chen Xitong
9. Chen Junsheng
10. Qian Qichen

8th State Council (1993–1998)

1. Li Tieying
2. Chi Haotian
3. Song Jian
4. Li Guixian
5. Chen Junsheng
6. Ismail Amat
7. Peng Peiyun
8. Luo Gan - Secretary-General of the State Council

9th State Council (1998–2003)

1. Chi Haotian
2. Luo Gan
3. Ismail Amat
4. Wu Yi
5. Wang Zhongyu - Secretary-General of the State Council

10th State Council (2003–2008)

Zhou Yongkang	Cao Gangchuan	Tang Jiaxuan	Hua Jianmin	Chen Zhili
Minister of Public Security	Minister of National Defence	foreign affairs	Secretary General of the State Council	education, sci-tech, culture, health, sport

11th State Council (2008–2013)

Liu Yandong	Ma Kai	Liang Guanglie	Meng Jianzhu	Dai Bingguo
education, sci-tech, culture, sport	Secretary General of the State Council	Minister of National Defence	Minister of Public Security	foreign affairs

12th State Council (2013–2018)

Yang Jing (removed from office 2 February 2018)	Chang Wanquan	Yang Jiechi	Guo Shengkun	Wang Yong
Secretary General of the State Council	Minister of National Defence	Foreign affairs	Minister of Public Security	Disaster response, etc.

13th State Council (2018–2023)

Wei Fenghe	Wang Yong	Wang Yi	Xiao Jie	Zhao Kezhi
Minister of National Defence	Disaster response, etc.	Minister of Foreign Affairs	Secretary General of the State Council	Minister of Public Security

External links

• Governing Laws of the State Council