The leader of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party is the highest-ranking official and head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Since 1982, the general secretary of the Central Committee is considered the party's leader.
Since the party's formation in 1921, the leader's post has been titled as Secretary of the Central Bureau (1921–1922), Chairman (1922–1925, 1928–1931, and 1943–1982), and General Secretary (1925–1928, 1931–1943, and 1982 onwards).
By custom the party leader has either been elected by the CCP Central Committee or the Politburo. There were several name changes until Mao Zedong finally formalized the office of Chairman of the Central Committee in 1945. Since 1982, the CCP National Congress and its 1st CC Plenary Session has been the main institutional setting in which the CCP leadership are elected. From 1992 onwards, every party leader has been elected by a 1st CC Plenary Session. In the period 1928–45 the CCP leader was elected by conference, meetings of the Central Committee or by decisions of the Politburo. The last exception to this rule is Jiang Zemin, who was elected at the 4th Plenary Session of the 13th Central Committee in the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre. Currently, to be nominated for the office of general secretary, one has to be a member of the CCP Politburo Standing Committee, the top decision body.
Despite breaching the Constitution of the Chinese Communist Party, several individuals (who are not included in the list) have been de facto leaders of the CCP without holding formal positions of power. Wang Ming was briefly in charge in 1931 after Xiang Zhongfa was jailed by Kuomintang forces, while Li Lisan is considered to have been the real person in-charge for most of Xiang's tenure. Mao was reckoned as the CCP's de facto leader from the Long March onward before formally becoming Chairman in 1943.
Beginning in the 1980s, the CCP leadership desired to prevent a single leader from rising above the party, as Chairman Mao had done. Accordingly, the post of CCP Chairman was abolished in 1982. Most of its functions were transferred to the revived post of General Secretary. Deng Xiaoping is the last and only CCP official to become de facto leader of the CCP and paramount leader of China despite having never served as chairman or general secretary. His highest post was Chairman of the Central Military Commission (commander-in-chief).
Leader offices Title Existence Established Officeholder(s) Secretary of the Central Bureau 1921–1922 1st National Congress Chen Duxiu (1921–27)Qu Qiubai (de facto 1927–28) Chairman of the Central Executive Committee 1922–1925 2nd National Congress General Secretary of the Central Committee 1925–1928 4th National Congress Chairman of the Politburo & Poliburo Standing Committee(continued to be referred to as the General Secretary in practice) 1928–1931 6th National Congress Xiang Zhongfa (1928–30)Qu Qiubai (de facto 1930–31) General Secretary of the Central Committee 1931–1943 6th Central Committee(5th Plenary Session) Wang Ming (acting 1931)Bo Gu (acting 1931–34, formal 1934–35)Zhang Wentian (1935–45) Chairman of the Central Politburo 1943–1945 Politburo resolution Mao Zedong Chairman of the Central Committee 1945–1982 7th National Congress Mao Zedong (1945–76)Hua Guofeng (1976–81)Hu Yaobang (1981–82) General Secretary of the Central Committee 1982–present 12th National Congress Hu Yaobang (1982–87)Zhao Ziyang (1987–89)Jiang Zemin (1989–2002)Hu Jintao (2002–12)Xi Jinping (2012–present)
Leaders Leader Term Key offices held while leader(top party post in bold) No. Portrait Name Start End Tenure Central Committee 1 Chen Duxiu(1879–1942) 23 July 1921 7 August 1927 1st (1921–22)2nd (1922–23)3rd (1923–25)4th (1925–27)5th (1927–28) Secretary of the Central Bureau (1921–22)Chairman of the Central Executive Committee (1922–25)General Secretary of the Central Committee (1925–27) de factoQu Qiubai(1899–1935) 7 August 1927 19 July 1928 5th (1927–28) (Convening) Member of the Provisional Politburo Standing Committee 2 Xiang Zhongfa(1879–1931) 1 July 1928 24 June 1931 6th (1928–45) Chairman, Central PolitburoChairman of the Central Politburo Standing CommitteeLeader in name only, formal authorities exercised by others at various times. ActingWang Ming (1904–1974) 24 June 1931 15 September 1931 6th (1928–45) (Convening) Member of the Politburo Standing CommitteeHead of the Chinese delegation to the Communist InternationalDe facto leader as early as January 1931 3 Bo Gu(1907–1946) September 1931 17 January 1935 6th (1928–45) Acting as the leading Member of the Politburo Standing Committee (1931–34)General Secretary of the Central Committee (1934–35) 4 Zhang Wentian(1900–1976) 17 January 1935 20 March 1943 6th (1928–45) General Secretary of the Central CommitteeAs of September 1938 (6th Plenary) all political authority shifted to Mao and Zhang remained Leader in name only. In March 1943 the office of Chairman of the Central Politburo formally replaced General Secretary as the office of the party leader. 5 Mao Zedong(1893–1976) 20 March 1943 9 September 1976 6th (1928–45)7th (1945–56)8th (1956–69)9th (1969–73)10th (1973–77) Chairman, Central PolitburoChairman, Central CommitteeChairman, Central Military CommissionPresident, Central Party SchoolChairman, People's Republic of ChinaChairman, CPPCC National CommitteeChairman, Central People's Revolutionary Military CommissionHonorary Chairman, CPPCC National CommitteePresident and Chairman, National Defence Council 6 Hua Guofeng(1921–2008) 7 October 1976 28 June 1981 11th (1977–82) Chairman, Central CommitteePremier, State CouncilChairman, Central Military CommissionPresident, Central Party School 7 Hu Yaobang(1915–1989) 29 June 1981 15 January 1987 11th (1977–82)12th (1982–87) Chairman, Central Committee (1981–82)Secretary General, Central Secretariat (1982–87) 8 Zhao Ziyang(1919–2005) 15 January 1987 24 June 1989 12th (1982–87)13th (1987–92) General Secretary of the Central CommitteeChairman, Central Leading Group for Financial and Economic AffairsVice Chairman, Central Military Commission 9 Jiang Zemin(1926–2022) 24 June 1989 15 November 2002 13th (1987–92)14th (1992–97)15th (1997–2002)General Secretary of the Central CommitteeChairman, Central Military CommissionPresident of the People's Republic of ChinaLeader, Central Leading Group for Taiwan AffairsLeader, Central Leading Group for Financial and Economic AffairsLeader, Central Foreign Affairs Leading 10 Hu Jintao(born 1942) 15 November 2002 15 November 2012 years 16th (2002–07)17th (2007–12)General Secretary of the Central CommitteePresident of the People's Republic of ChinaChairman, Central Military CommissionLeader, Central Leading Group for Taiwan AffairsLeader, Central Leading Group for Financial and Economic AffairsLeader, Central Foreign Affairs Leading Group 11 Xi Jinping(born 1953) 15 November 2012 Incumbent 18th (2012–17)19th (2017–22)20th (2022–27) General Secretary of the Central CommitteeChairman, Central Military CommissionPresident of the People's Republic of ChinaLeader, Central Leading Group for Taiwan AffairsDirector, Central Comprehensively Deepening Reforms CommissionDirector, Central Financial and Economic Affairs CommissionChairman, National Security CommissionDirector, Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission|Leader, Central Leading Group for Military Reform
Timeline
See also Party and state leaders Leadership core Orders of precedence in China List of leaders of the People's Republic of China
Notes
References Citations
Sources
General references References for when individuals were elected to the CCP leadership offices, the name of the offices and when they established and were abolished are found below:
Articles and journal entries
Books