Editing Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party

{{Short description|24-member leading body of the Chinese Communist Party}}
{{Infobox communist organ
|name               = '''Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China'''
|native_name        = {{nobold|{{noitalics|{{lang|zh-hans|中国共产党中央委员会政治局}}}}}}
|image              = Danghui.svg
|imagesize          =
|imagecaption       =
|leader             = [[Xi Jinping]]
|leader_title       = [[General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party|General Secretary]]
|elected_by         = [[Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party|Central Committee]]
|responsible_to     = Central Committee
|seats              = 24
|meeting_place      = [[Huairen Hall]], [[Zhongnanhai]]<br />[[Beijing]], China<ref>{{cite news |last = Wang |first = Jun |title = 中央政治局如何开会 |url = http://m.qikan.com/ArticleContentNew.aspx?type=2&titleid=6D247FEA-3903-4976-BD27-C27249C4230C&categorycode=097F40B8-AF91-4CAF-8F7C-71CD2A932382 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171019064209/http://m.qikan.com/ArticleContentNew.aspx?type=2&titleid=6D247FEA-3903-4976-BD27-C27249C4230C&categorycode=097F40B8-AF91-4CAF-8F7C-71CD2A932382 |url-status=dead |archive-date = 19 October 2017 |access-date = 18 October 2017 |website = qikan.com |date = 15 June 2013 }}</ref>
|picture=File:Meeting Room of the Political Bureau of the CCP Central Committee.png}}
{{Chinese
| order = st
| s = 中国共产党中央委员会政治局
| t = 中國共產黨中央委員會政治局
| p = Zhōngguó Gòngchǎndǎng Zhōngyāng Zhèngzhìjú
| w = Chung<sup>1</sup>-kuo<sup>2</sup> Kung<sup>4</sup>-chʻan<sup>3</sup>-tang<sup>3</sup> Chung<sup>1</sup>-yang<sup>1</sup> Chêng<sup>4</sup>-chih<sup>4</sup>-chü<sup>2</sup>
| l = China Communist Party Central Committee Political Bureau
| altname = Politburo
| c2 = 政治局
| p2 = Zhèngzhìjú
| w2 = Chêng<sup>4</sup>-chih<sup>4</sup>-chü<sup>2</sup>
| l2 = Political Bureau
| links = no
}}
{{Politics of China |expanded = Communist Party }}
The '''Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party''', officially the '''Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China''', is the [[politburo|executive committee]] of the [[Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party]].

Currently, the bureau is a group of 24 top officials who oversee the party and central government. The politburo is headed by the [[General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party|general secretary]]. Unlike the [[politburo]]s of other [[Communist party|communist parties]], the CCP Politburo subdelegates many of its powers to the smaller [[Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party|Politburo Standing Committee]].

The Politburo is 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 District|Beidaihe]] in the summer before the [[National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party|National Congress of the CCP]] convenes.<ref>{{cite book |last=Li |first=Cheng |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6kzDCQAAQBAJ&q=how+is+the+politburo+members+chosen+%22straw+poll%22&pg=PT52 |title=Chinese Politics in the Xi Jinping Era: Reassessing Collective Leadership |publisher=[[Brookings Institution]] |year=2016 |isbn=9780815726937 |language=en |access-date=18 October 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Kang Lim |first=Benjamin |date=20 November 2017 |title=Exclusive: China's backroom powerbrokers block reform candidates - sources |work=[[Reuters]] |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-congress-poll/exclusive-chinas-backroom-powerbrokers-block-reform-candidates-sources-idUSBRE8AK01F20121121 |access-date=18 October 2017 |archive-date=19 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019004424/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-congress-poll/exclusive-chinas-backroom-powerbrokers-block-reform-candidates-sources-idUSBRE8AK01F20121121 |url-status=live }}</ref>

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 of the Chinese Communist Party|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 less frequent than meetings of the former [[Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union|Soviet Politburo]]. The agenda for the meetings is controlled by the CCP general secretary and decisions are made by [[Consensus decision-making|consensus]] rather than by majority vote.<ref name="China Leadership Monitor">{{cite web |last=Miller |first=H. |title=Hu Jintao and the Party Politburo |url=http://media.hoover.org/sites/default/files/documents/clm9_lm.pdf |access-date=15 October 2011 |work=China Leadership Monitor |publisher=[[Hoover Institution]] |page=5 |archive-date=13 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200413163540/https://media.hoover.org/sites/default/files/documents/clm9_lm.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

== History ==
The Politburo was eclipsed by the Secretariat of the Chinese Communist Party in the early 1980s under [[Hu Yaobang]],<ref name="Li-2008">Li, Cheng et al. (2008). ''China's Changing Political Landscape'', Washington: Brookings Institution Press. {{ISBN|978-0-8157-5209-7}}.</ref> but has re-emerged as a dominant force after Hu's ousting in 1987.

== Composition and selection ==
Since the 1990s, Politburo members concurrently held posts in the party apparatus, in state posts, and as regional party chiefs.<ref name=":0">Miller, Alice. "The 19th Central Committee Politburo". ''China Leadership Monitor'' 55 (2018).</ref> Some are party secretaries of important provinces or municipalities.<ref name=":022">{{Cite book |last=Li |first=David Daokui |title=China's World View: Demystifying China to Prevent Global Conflict |date=2024 |publisher=[[W. W. Norton & Company]] |isbn=978-0393292398 |location=New York, NY |author-link=David Daokui Li}}</ref>{{Rp|page=57}} In addition, members serving in the military and security sectors have been limited to 3 posts. In contrast, most members in the 1980s had a military command background.<ref name=":0" /> In 2017, for the 19th Central Committee Politburo, aside from the heads of the four main institutional hierarchies—the CCP, the [[National People's Congress]], the [[State Council of the People's Republic of China|State Council]] and the [[Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference]], there were six members each holding posts in the party, the national government, the regional governments, and three in the military.<ref name=":0" /> The average age of the 2017 Politburo's members was 62, which was similar to those in recent decades. Before that, the Party under [[Deng Xiaoping]] deliberately encouraged turnover by imposing term limits and retirement ages.<ref name=":0" />

In October 2017, at the First Plenary Session of the [[19th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party|19th CCP Central Committee]], it was decided that all Politburo members shall make an annual written presentation to the Central Committee and the General Secretary.<ref>{{Cite news |title=中共中央政治局召开会议 研究部署学习宣传贯彻党的十九大精神 |url=http://www.xinhuanet.com//politics/19cpcnc/2017-10/27/c_1121868508.htm |date=2017-10-27 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109125251/http://www.xinhuanet.com/politics/19cpcnc/2017-10/27/c_1121868508.htm |archive-date=2020-11-09 |accessdate=2019-02-28 |website=[[Xinhua]]}}</ref> In March 2018, all Standing Committee members and members of the Politburo made their first written presentation to the Central Committee and General Secretary [[Xi Jinping]].<ref>{{Cite news |title=中央政治局同志向党中央和习近平总书记述职 |url=http://tv.cctv.com/2018/03/21/VIDEsIe5ezR3zftykZaGr2k9180321.shtml  |date=2018-03-21 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109215752/http://tv.cctv.com/2018/03/21/VIDEsIe5ezR3zftykZaGr2k9180321.shtml |archive-date=2020-11-09 |accessdate=2019-02-28 |website=[[China Central Television]]}}</ref>

Since the [[17th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party|17th National Congress]], the official way of electing the Politburo was through a process called "democratic recommendation" ({{zh|s=民主推荐|labels=no}}) where the CCP conducted a straw poll of 200 candidates to the Politburo, which were factored into the final list of candidates presented at the National Congress of the CCP. However, this was abolished in the [[19th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party|19th National Congress]] under Xi, which denounced the "vote buying" and the "voting based on personal connections and favors" of this method, particularly in connection to politicians who fell after the [[Anti-corruption campaign under Xi Jinping|anti-corruption campaign under Xi]]. The process was officially replaced with a method of "face-to-face interviews, investigation and study".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Raising the Curtain on China's 20th Party Congress: Mechanics, Rules, "Norms," and the Realities of Power |url=https://asiasociety.org/policy-institute/raising-curtain-chinas-20th-party-congress-mechanics-rules-norms-and-realities-power |date=August 4, 2022 |access-date=2022-08-28 |website=[[Asia Society]] |language=en |archive-date=2022-08-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220810155125/https://asiasociety.org/policy-institute/raising-curtain-chinas-20th-party-congress-mechanics-rules-norms-and-realities-power |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Current composition ===
{{Main|20th Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party}}

The 20th Politburo was elected at the first plenary session of the 20th Central Committee in October 2022. [[Xi Jinping]]’s persistence in his third five-year term represents a departure from the pattern of decade-long reigns for leaders, such as [[Mao Zedong|Mao]] and [[Deng Xiaoping|Deng]].<ref name="p177">{{Cite news |last=Cai |first=Weiyi |last2=Byrd |first2=Aaron |last3=Buckley |first3=Chris |last4=Robles |first4=Pablo |date=2023-09-02 |title=How Xi Returned China to One-Man Rule |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/09/02/world/asia/china-xi-rule.html |url-access=registration |access-date=2025-02-09 |work=[[The New York Times]] |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

=== Cadre training ===
{{Further|Cadre system of the Chinese Communist Party}}
In 2001, the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party published the ''2001-2005 National Plan for Cadre Training'' elevating the importance of cadre training for [[Chinese economic reform]]. The salaries of staff in party schools were brought in line with the salaries paid in regular Chinese universities. Teaching, research, and information technology was modernized to enable [[distance education]] throughout the party school system.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |author1=Pieke |first=Frank N. |url=https://www.cambridge.org/ec/academic/subjects/politics-international-relations/texts-political-thought/good-communist-elite-training-and-state-building-todays-china |title=The Good Communist: Elite Training and State Building in Today's China |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |year=2009 |isbn=9781139482134 |pages= |author-link=Frank N. Pieke}}</ref>{{Rp|page=47}} 

Modern cadre training focuses on ''quality'' and ''ability''. Students are trained in ideological orthodoxy, submitting to [[Leninism]] and party discipline. The young cadre is trained in applying their knowledge creatively and independently, so as to deal flexibly with complex issues and accept continuous learning.<ref name=":2" />{{Rp|page=50}} The initiative for cadre training after 2002 was buttressed by the Central Party School, and the regional party schools, including the Party Schools in [[Shanghai]] and [[Shenzhen]].<ref name=":2" />{{Rp|page=51}}

== Functions ==
The Politburo and the Politburo Standing Committee are the top decision-making institutions for the CCP Central Committee.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Zhao |first=Suisheng |title=The Dragon Roars Back: Transformational Leaders and Dynamics of Chinese Foreign Policy |date=2023 |publisher=[[Stanford University Press]] |isbn=978-1-5036-3088-8 |location=Stanford, California |pages=175 |doi=10.1515/9781503634152 |oclc=1331741429 |author-link=Suisheng Zhao}}</ref> According to the [[Constitution of the Chinese Communist Party|CCP constitution]], the party's Central Committee elects the Politburo during a plenary session.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chapter III Central Organizations of the Party – Article 22 |url=http://www.china.org.cn/english/features/49109.htm#4 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071018054320/http://www.china.org.cn/english/features/49109.htm#4 |archive-date=18 October 2007 |access-date=26 March 2013 |website=[[China Internet Information Center]]}}</ref> Members of the Politburo are [[Civil service of the People's Republic of China|deputy-national-level]] leaders or more.<ref name=":222">{{Cite web |title=Decoding Chinese Politics: Party Center |url=https://asiasociety.org/policy-institute/decoding-chinese-politics?policy=party-center&group=organizations&size=rank&connection=personal |access-date=11 October 2024 |website=[[Asia Society]]}}</ref>

A Politburo meeting in October 2017 after the first plenary session of the [[19th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party|19th CCP Central Committee]] stipulated that all Politburo members must make an annual written presentation to the CCP General Secretary and the Central Committee. It also stipulated the CCP Secretariat, the [[Central Commission for Discipline Inspection]], the [[Leading Party Members Group of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress]], the [[Leading Party Members Group of the State Council]], the [[Leading Party Members Group of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference]], the Leading Party Members Group of the [[Supreme People's Court]] and the Leading Party Members Group of the [[Supreme People's Procuratorate]] must report their work to the Politburo and its [[Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party|Standing Committee]] every year.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2017-10-27 |script-title=zh:中共中央政治局召开会议 研究部署学习宣传贯彻党的十九大精神 |trans-title=The Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee held a meeting to study, deploy, study, publicize and implement the spirit of the 19th National Congress of the Party |url=http://www.xinhuanet.com//politics/19cpcnc/2017-10/27/c_1121868508.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109125251/http://www.xinhuanet.com/politics/19cpcnc/2017-10/27/c_1121868508.htm |archive-date=2020-11-09 |accessdate=2019-02-28 |website=[[Xinhua News Agency]] |language=zh}}</ref>

=== Politburo meetings ===
The Politburo typically meets once a month.<ref name=":0222">{{Cite book |last=Li |first=David Daokui |title=China's World View: Demystifying China to Prevent Global Conflict |date=2024 |publisher=[[W. W. Norton & Company]] |isbn=978-0393292398 |location=New York, NY |author-link=David Daokui Li}}</ref>{{Rp|page=57}} The [[General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party|General Secretary of the Central Committee]] is responsible for convening the meetings of the Politburo and decides their agenda.<ref name=":222" /> The CCP almost always releases a readout to summarize the outcomes of Politburo meetings and, since 2002, these sessions have been widely publicized.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":222" /> Frequently, they address [[Foreign relations of China|foreign affairs]].<ref name=":1" />

Since 2002, the Politburo has regularly held [[Collective study session|collective study sessions]] and more standard Politburo meetings. The standard meetings discuss new policy directives, provide feedback on policy implementation and prepare for future work conferences, plenums, or congresses.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Politburo |url=https://www.strategictranslation.org/glossary/politburo |url-status=live |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=2025-02-09 |website=The Center for Strategic Translation |language=en}}</ref> The collective study sessions serve as an opportunity for CCP leadership to promote new policies.<ref name=":1" /> They generally take place shortly after the standard meetings, usually on the same day or the day after. The Politburo invites professors, think tank scholars or other experts to give a lecture to the Politburo members about a topic chosen by the General Secretary. These lectures often end with "work recommendations" for the Politburo and conclude with a speech by the General Secretary on the study topic. The collective study sessions are often publicized and play an important role to signal leadership priorities to cadres.<ref name=":3" />

== See also ==
{{Portal|China|Communism|Politics
}}
* [[Collective leadership]]
** [[Surname stroke order]]
* [[Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party]]
** [[Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party]]
*** [[General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party|General Secretary]] 
** [[Secretariat of the Chinese Communist Party|Central Secretariat]]
** [[General Office of the Chinese Communist Party|General Office]]
*** [[Central Security Bureau of the Chinese Communist Party|Central Security Bureau]]
**** [[61889 Regiment|Central Guard Unit]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{Chinese Communist Party}}
{{20th Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party}}
{{CCP Party Organs}}

[[Category:Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party| ]]