Vice President of China

Not to be confused with Vice President of the Republic of China.

The vice president of China, officially titled the vice president of the People's Republic of China, is the deputy to the president of the People's Republic of China, the state representative of China.

Vice President of the People's Republic of China
中华人民共和国副主席
National Emblem of the People's Republic of China
Flag of the People's Republic of China
Incumbent Han Zheng since 10 March 2023
Style	Mr Vice President (副主席) (informal) His Excellency (阁下) (diplomatic)
Type	Deputy state representative
Status	Deputy-national leader level official
Residence	Zhongnanhai
Seat	Zhongnanhai West Building, Beijing
Nominator	Presidium of the National People's Congress
Appointer	National People's Congress
Term length	Five years, renewable
Constituting instrument	Constitution of China
Inaugural holder	Li Yuanhong (Republican era) Zhu De (current form)
Formation	1 January 1912 (1912-01-01) (Republican era) 27 September 1954 (1954-09-27) (current form)
Abolished	Between 1975 and 1982
Unofficial names	State Vice Chairman

Vice President of China
Simplified Chinese	中华人民共和国副主席
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó Fùzhǔxí
Alternative Chinese name
Simplified Chinese	国家副主席
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Guójiā Fùzhǔxí

The office originated in the Republican era when Li Yuanhong held the post of the first vice president of China. This post in its current form 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

Further information: Vice President of China (1912–1949)

Li Yuanhong, the first vice president in Chinese 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.

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)

Further information: Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China (1949–1954)

Vice Chairmen of the Central People's Government

(co-serving, 1 October 1949 – 27 September 1954)

1. Zhu De
2. Liu Shaoqi
3. Song Qingling
4. Li Jishen
5. Zhang Lan
6. Gao Gang (until his suicide on 17 August 1954)

The 1st Constitution (1954–1975)

Further information: 1954 Constitution of the People's Republic of China

Vice Chairmen of the People's Republic of China

Portrait		Name (Birth–Death) Constituency		Term of office		NPC	Chairman
1		Zhu De 朱德 (1886–1976) Sichuan at-large		27 September 1954	27 April 1959	I	Mao Zedong
				The first vice chairman of the People's Republic of China.
2		Song Qingling 宋庆龄 (1893–1981) Shanghai at-large	Dong Biwu 董必武 (1886–1975) Hubei at-large	27 April 1959	17 January 1975	II · III	Liu Shaoqi
				Served jointly as Vice Chairmen.
Vacancy by ascension and post abolished

The 4th Constitution (1982–present)

Further information: 1982 Constitution of the People's Republic of China

Vice President of the People's Republic of China

Portrait		Name (Birth–Death) Constituency	Term of office		NPC	President
3		Ulanhu 乌兰夫 (1907–1988) Inner Mongolia at-large	18 June 1983	8 April 1988	VI	Li Xiannian
			An ethnic Mongol and former Chairman of Inner Mongolia, Ulanhu served as the first vice president under the 4th Constitution of the People's Republic of China.
4		Wang Zhen 王震 (1909–1993) Xinjiang at-large	8 April 1988	12 March 1993	VII	Yang Shangkun
			Wang Zhen, a Communist military leader, was perhaps best known for leading the People's Liberation Army into Xinjiang at the foundation of the People's Republic. In 1988 Wang assumed the title of vice-president in an honorary capacity, after his failed effort to put the conservative Deng Liqun in the position of General Secretary. Wang was the second vice president under the 4th Constitution of the People's Republic of China. He died in office.
5		Rong Yiren 荣毅仁 (1916–2005) Shanghai at-large	12 March 1993	15 March 1998	VIII	Jiang Zemin
			A member of the China National Democratic Construction Association, a recognized non-Communist political party in China, Rong served as the third vice president under the 4th Constitution of the People's Republic of China.
6		Hu Jintao 胡锦涛 (born 1942) Guizhou at-large	15 March 1998	15 March 2003	IX	Jiang Zemin
			Hu, the former party chief of Guizhou province and the Tibet Autonomous Region, served as the fourth vice president under the 4th Constitution of the People's Republic of China. In his capacity as vice-president, Hu was probably best known for handling the aftermath of the United States bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade. Hu was the first member of the Politburo Standing Committee to assume the post since the adoption of the 1982 constitution. In 2003, Hu became the first vice president to become president.
7		Zeng Qinghong 曾庆红 (born 1939) Jiangxi at-large	15 March 2003	15 March 2008	X	Hu Jintao
			Zeng Qinghong, who had come to prominence as a political aide to Jiang Zemin, served as the fifth vice president under the 4th Constitution of the People's Republic of China. Also a member of the Politburo Standing Committee, Zeng received an unusually high number of votes against him during his election for the vice-presidency.
8		Xi Jinping 习近平 (born 1953) Shanghai at-large	15 March 2008	14 March 2013	XI	Hu Jintao
			Xi, the former party chief of Zhejiang, then Shanghai, became the sixth vice president under the 4th Constitution of the People's Republic of China and the second vice president to become president. Also a member of the Politburo Standing Committee.
9		Li Yuanchao 李源潮 (born 1950) Jiangsu at-large	14 March 2013	17 March 2018	XII	Xi Jinping
			Li, the former party chief of Jiangsu, became the seventh vice president under the 4th Constitution of the People's Republic of China. A member of the Politburo. In his capacity as vice-president, Li represented China at numerous international events of symbolic significance, such as the State Memorial Service of Nelson Mandela, and the state funeral of Lee Kuan Yew.
10		Wang Qishan 王岐山 (born 1948) Hunan at-large	17 March 2018	10 March 2023	XIII	Xi Jinping
			Wang, a retired member of the Politburo Standing Committee and the former secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection – China's top anti-corruption enforcer, was selected for the vice president post ostensibly for his experience in foreign affairs. Wang's assuming the post again made the vice-presidency a highly relevant office.
11		Han Zheng 韩正 (born 1954) Shanghai at-large	10 March 2023	Incumbent	XIV	Xi Jinping
			Han, a retired member of the Politburo Standing Committee and the former first-ranked Vice-Premier of the State Council, was selected for the vice president post.

See also

• Order of precedence in China
• List of current vice presidents and designated acting presidents