Following members were approved at the first meeting of the Presidium for the 17th National Congress of the CPC on October 14 to serve its Standing Committee:
Hu Jintao, Jiang Zemin, Wu Bangguo, Wen Jiabao, Jia Qinglin, Zeng Qinghong, Wu Guanzheng, Li Changchun, Luo Gan, Wang Lequan, Wang Zhaoguo, Hui Liangyu, Liu Qi, Liu Yunshan, Wu Yi (f.), Zhang Lichang, Zhang Dejiang, Zhou Yongkang, Yu Zhengsheng, He Guoqiang, Guo Boxiong, Cao Gangchuan, Zeng Peiyan, Wang Gang, Li Peng, Wan Li, Qiao Shi, Zhu Rongji, Li Ruihuan, Song Ping, Liu Huaqing, Wei Jianxing, Li Lanqing, Xu Caihou, He Yong, Wang Zhongyu.
Among them, 8 – including Hu Jintao, Wu Bangguo, Wen Jiabao, Jia Qinglin, Zeng Qinghong, Wu Guanzheng, Li Changchun and Luo Gan – are the Standing Committee members of the Political Bureau of the 16th CPC Central Committee, while 14 – Wang Lequan, Wang Zhaoguo, Hui Liangyu, Liu Qi, Liu Yunshan, Wu Yi, Zhang Lichang, Zhang Dejiang, Zhou Yongkang, Yu Zhengsheng, He Guoqiang, Guo Boxiong, Cao Gangchuan, Zeng Peiyan – are members of the Political Bureau.
Another 6, including Jiang Zemin, Li Peng, Zhu Rongji, Li Ruihuan, Wei Jianxing and Li Lanqing, were the Standing Committee members of the Political Bureau of the 15th CPC Central Committee.
Qiao Shi and Liu Huaqing served as the Standing Committee members of the Political Bureau of the 14th CPC Central Committee, while Wan Li and Song Ping were Political Bureau members of the 13th CPC Central Committee.
The remaining one, Wang Zhongyu, was an alternate member of 13th CPC Central Committee and member of 14th and 15th CPC Central Committee.
Presidium of the CPC National Congress
The Constitution of the CPC rules that "The central leading bodies and leaders elected by each Central Committee shall, when the next National Congress is in session, continue to preside over the Party's day-to-day work until the new central leading bodies and leaders are elected by the next Central Committee." During the session of the National Congress, the presidium of the National Congress of the CPC shall preside over the National Congress. The members of the presidium of the National Congress are nominated by the last Central Committee or the delegations who will determine the shortlist of the candidates after due consideration and finally vote by a show of hands at the preparatory meeting of the National Congress.
The presidium consists of the secretary-general, the vice secretary-generals and standing members. The secretary-general is decided by a show of hands at the preparatory meeting of the National Congress and the vice secretary-generals and the standing members are decided by a show of hands at the first presidium meeting presided over by the secretary-general. The post of the executive chairman of the National Congress rotates among the members of the presidium.
The responsibilities of the presidium are as follows: presiding over the meeting according to the agenda; organizing the reports and discussions; conducting the elections of the National Congress; organizing the discussions of the delegates and adopting the resolutions of the congress.
The new central committee elected by the National Congress is the highest leading body when the Congress is not in session. It implements the resolutions of the Congress and takes charge of all the work of the Party and represents the Communist Party of China to the outside world. The presidium is no longer the leading body when the Congress is not in session.
Standing Committee of the Presidium
The Standing Committee of the Presidium is the core leadership of the Party's congress, normally consisting of standing committee members of the Party Committee. Its members are nominated by the Party’s committee and voted in by the first plenary meeting of the Presidium. Its meetings are usually presided over by the secretary or vice secretary of the Party Committee. All local congress presidiums, which are those higher than county level, can set up their own standing committees. The grass roots congress presidiums, those lower than county level, are usually not required to establish standing committees.
The main responsibilities of the Standing Committee: a) Study important problems in the procedure of electing candidates and work out resolution suggestions for the presidium; b) preside over the plenary meetings of the presidium, the daily work of the presidium and the election at the congress; c) listen to the report from the congress on the pre-election results, and according to the election rules, work out a suggested list of the candidates and present it to the presidium for a vote; d) according to the election results, make a suggested list of candidates for the Party Committee and Disciplinary Supervision Committee and present it to the presidium for a vote; and e) study all involved important problems and bring them to the attention of the presidium for discussion and decision.
(China.org.cn October 15, 2007)
