Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party
The Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party, formally known as the Central Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China and known as the Central Bureau before 1927, is a group of now 25 people who oversee the Communist Party of China (CPC). Unlike politburos (political bureaus) of other Communist parties, power within the politburo is centralized in the Politburo Standing Committee, a smaller group of Politburo members.
Central Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China 中国共产党中央政治局 | |
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Leadership | |
Status | |
Leader of the Party | |
1st-ranked member | |
Elected by | the Central Committee |
Responsible to | the Central Committee |
Seats | 25 |
Meeting place | |
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Huairen Hall, Zhongnanhai Beijing, China[1] |
Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party | |||||||
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Simplified Chinese | 中国共产党中央政治局 | ||||||
Traditional Chinese | 中國共產黨中央政治局 | ||||||
Literal meaning | China Communist Party Central Political Bureau | ||||||
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Politburo | |||||||
Chinese | 政治局 | ||||||
Literal meaning | Political Bureau | ||||||
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This article is part of a series on the politics and government of China |
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The Politburo is nominally elected by the Central Committee. In practice, however, scholars of Chinese elite politics believe that the Politburo is a self-perpetuating body, with new members of both the Politburo and its Standing Committee chosen through a series of deliberations by current Politburo members and retired Politburo Standing Committee members. The current and former Politburo members conduct a series of informal straw polls to determine the group's level of support for each new candidate's membership in the Politburo. The process for selecting the new Politburo begins with a closed door meeting by the incumbent Politburo Standing Committee in Beidaihe in the summer before the Party National Congress convenes.[2][3]
The power of the Politburo resides largely in the fact that its members generally simultaneously hold positions within the People's Republic of China state positions and with the control over personnel appointments that the Politburo and Secretariat have. In addition, some Politburo members hold powerful regional positions. How the Politburo works internally is unclear, but it appears that the full Politburo meets once a month and the standing committee meets weekly. This is believed to be much more infrequent than the former Soviet Politburo had met. The agenda for the meetings appears to be controlled by the General Secretary and decisions are made by consensus rather than by majority vote.[4]
The Politburo was eclipsed by the Secretariat of the Communist Party of China Central Committee in the early 1980s under Hu Yaobang,[5] but has re-emerged as a dominant force after Hu's ousting in 1987.
Current Politburo
The 19th Politburo was elected at the first plenary session of the 19th Central Committee in October 2017.
Notes
References
- Wang, Jun (15 June 2013). "中央政治局如何开会". qikan.com. Archived from the original on 19 October 2017. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
- Li, Cheng (2016). Chinese Politics in the Xi Jinping Era: Reassessing Collective Leadership. Brookings Institution Press. ISBN 9780815726937. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
- Kang Lim, Benjamin (20 November 2017). "Exclusive: China's backroom powerbrokers block reform candidates - sources". Reuters. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
- Miller, H. "Hu Jintao and the Party Politburo" (PDF). China Leadership Monitor. Hoover Institution. p. 5. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
- Li, Cheng et al. (2008). China's Changing Political Landscape, Washington: Brookings Institution Press. ISBN 978-0-8157-5209-7.
External links
- "Hu Jintao and the Party Politburo", Winter 2004: Party Affairs, By Alice L. Miller, China Leadership Monitor No. 9
- www.nodulo.org Pictures of the members (Spanish)