State councillor (China)


The state councillor is a high-ranking position within the State Council of the People's Republic of China, the executive organ of China's central government. 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 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 Ürümqi riots.

List of state councillors

;5th State Council
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
  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
  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
  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
  1. Chi Haotian
  2. Luo Gan
  3. Ismail Amat
  4. Wu Yi
  5. Wang Zhongyu - Secretary-General of the State Council
;10th State Council
Zhou YongkangCao GangchuanTang JiaxuanHua JianminChen Zhili
Minister of Public SecurityMinister of National Defenceforeign affairsSecretary General
of the State Council		education, sci-tech, culture,
health, sport

;11th State Council
Liu YandongMa KaiLiang GuanglieMeng JianzhuDai Bingguo
education, sci-tech,
culture, sport		Secretary General
of the State Council		Minister of National DefenceMinister of Public Securityforeign affairs

;12th State Council
Yang Jing
Chang WanquanYang JiechiGuo ShengkunWang Yong
Secretary General
of the State Council		Minister of National DefenceForeign affairsMinister of Public SecurityDisaster response, etc.

;13th State Council
Wei FengheWang YongWang YiXiao JieZhao Kezhi
Minister of National DefenceDisaster response, etc.Minister of Foreign AffairsSecretary General
of the State Council		Minister of Public Security