This is the first part of a two-part series mapping the 19th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party. The second part can be accessed here.
The Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is a political body that acts like the board of directors for the CCP and is the centre of political power in China. It is composed of 371 members – 205 full and 171 alternate members – elected every 5 years by the National Party Congress (NPC). The next NPC will be held in October 2022 to select the 20th Central Committee as the 19th Central Committee finishes its tenure. The Central Committee (CC) includes ministers, provincial party secretaries, military leaders and regulatory officials that are vested with the power to select (approve) the 25-member Politburo, the Politburo Standing Committee (PSC), the General Secretary and the Central Military Commission (CMC), according to Article 23 of the Party Constitution.
The Central Committee is required to meet in plenary session at least once a year convened by the Politburo. It plays an important role in deciding its current and future leadership and is considered the Party’s highest leading body, according to Article 10 of the Party Constitution. Article 16 of the Party Constitution also vests only the Central Committee with the power to make decisions on major national policies.
The current 19th Central Committee will give way to the 20th Central Committee at the NPC in October 2022, where Xi Jinping is expected to receive the party’s endorsement for a third term as General Secretary of the CCP. The 20th CC will also bring a wave of personnel changes that deliver several new layers to the composition of China’s top decision-making organisations. This multi-part series on CCP’s Central Committee will detail the composition of the 19th CC and unpack the changes set to take place in October 2022.