Premier Of The People's Republic Of China

The premier is the second-highest ranking person in China's political system, under the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (paramount leader)/president (state representative), and holds the highest rank in the civil service of the central government.

Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China
中华人民共和国国务院总理
National Emblem of the People's Republic of China
Flag of the People's Republic of China
Incumbent Li Qiang since 11 March 2023
State Council of the People's Republic of China
Style	Premier (总理) (informal) His Excellency (阁下) (diplomatic)
Type	Head of government
Status	National leader level official
Member of	Plenary Meeting of the State Council Executive Meeting of the State Council
Reports to	National People's Congress and its Standing Committee
Residence	Premier's Office, Zhongnanhai, Beijing
Seat	Beijing
Nominator	President (chosen within the Chinese Communist Party)
Appointer	National People's Congress
Term length	Five years, renewable once consecutively
Constituting instrument	Constitution of the People's Republic of China
Precursor	Premier of the Government Administration Council of the Central People's Government
Inaugural holder	Zhou Enlai
Formation	7 November 1931; 92 years ago (1931-11-07) (Chinese Soviet Republic) 1 October 1949; 74 years ago (1949-10-01) (People's Republic of China)
Abolished	22 September 1937; 86 years ago (1937-09-22) (Chinese Soviet Republic)
Unofficial names	Prime Minister
Deputy	Vice Premier State councillor
Salary	CN¥150,000 per annum est. (2015)
Website	www.gov.cn/premier/index.htm

The premier presides over the plenary and executive meetings of the State Council, and assumes overall leadership over the State Council's work. The premier also signs administrative regulations passed by the State Council and signs the orders approving the appointment and removal of deputy-ministerial level officials of the State Council, as well as chief executives of Hong Kong and Macau. The premier is assisted by four vice premiers and state councillors in their duties. In China's political system, the premier has generally thought to be the one responsible for managing the economy.

The premier is constitutionally elected by the National People's Congress (NPC), and responsible to it and its Standing Committee. The premier serves for a five-year term, renewable once consecutively. Every premier has been a member of the CCP Politburo Standing Committee since the PRC's founding in 1949, except during brief transition periods. The incumbent premier is Li Qiang, who took office on 11 March 2023, succeeding Li Keqiang.

The post was initially established by Organic Law of the Central People's Government, passed by the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in 29 September 1949, as the premier of the Government Administration Council of the Central People's Government. Zhou Enlai was appointed as premier immediately after the proclamation of the People's Republic of China in 1 October 1949. With the adoption of a constitution in 1954, the post was renamed into the premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China.

Since the 1980s, there has been a division of responsibilities between the premier and the CCP general secretary wherein the premier is responsible for the economy and the technical details of implementing government policy while the general secretary gathers the political support necessary for government policy. However, this was seen to be overturned under the leadership of CCP general secretary Xi Jinping, who has centralized power around himself, and taken responsibility over areas that were traditionally the domain of the premier, including the economy.

The premier was historically chosen within the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) through deliberations by incumbent CCP Politburo members and retired CCP Politburo members as part of the process of determining membership in the incoming new CCP Politburo Standing Committee. Under this informal process, the eventual future premier is initially chosen as a vice premier before assuming the position of premier during a subsequent round of leadership transitions. This changed under Xi, with his ally and current premier Li Qiang never having served as vice premier.

Officially, the premier is appointed by the National People's Congress (NPC) upon the nomination of the president. The NPC also has the power to remove the premier and other state officers from office. Elections and removals are decided by majority vote. In practice, the premier is chosen within the CCP leadership, including the Politburo Standing Committee.

The length of the premier's term of office is the same as the NPC, which is 5 years, and the premier is restricted to two consecutive terms. Immediately after the election, the president signs the presidential order formalizing the premier's appointment. Since 2018, the premier is required to recite the constitutional oath of office before assuming office.

The premier is the highest administrative position in the Government of China. The premier heads the State Council and is responsible for organizing and administering the Chinese civil bureaucracy. For example, the premier is tasked with planning and implementing national economic and social development and the state budget. The premier has always been a member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party.

The premier's duties includes overseeing the various ministries, departments, commissions and statutory agencies. The premier can also propose the establishment, merger or dissolution of ministries, which would then be decided upon by the NPC or its Standing Committee. The premier officially nominated the candidates for vice premiers, state councillors, ministerial offices and the secretary-general of the State Council for appointment by the NPC. The vice premiers assist the premier in their duties. The first-ranked vice premier acts in the premier's capacity in their absence.

The premier chairs the plenary and executive meetings of the State Council. The executive meetings include the premier, vice premiers, state councillors and the secretary-general of the State Council, and are held two or three times a month, and can be held in any time if necessary. The State Council has the authority to issue proposals to the NPC and its Standing Committee, which must be approved by the premier. It can also draft or abolish administrative regulations, which are then signed into order and promulgated by the premier. The premier also signs the order approving the appointments or removals of State Council officials at the deputy-ministerial level, as well as the Chief Executive of Hong Kong and the Chief Executive of Macau.

The premier does not have command authority over the armed forces, but is generally the head of the National Defense Mobilization Commission which is a department of the armed forces. The State Council has the authority to impose martial law in subdivisions below the provincial-level administrative divisions, which the premier then proclaims in an order; premier Li Peng used the authority to impose martial law in parts of Beijing and to order the military crackdown of the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989.

• List of leaders of the People's Republic of China
• List of premiers of China
• List of Chinese leaders