List of premiers of the People's Republic of China

All the names on this list follow the Eastern order convention (family name first, given name second) for consistency.

In the People's Republic of China, the Premier is the head of government, and is elected by a delegation of the National People's Congress every five years. Premiers have been limited to two terms of five years since 1982.

List of Premiers edit

The Premiership of PRC was created since the establishment of the People's Republic of China on 1 October 1949.

Generations of leadership

  First Administration   Second Administration   Third Administration   Hu–Wen Administration   Xi–Li Administration/Xi Core Administration

Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Constituency
Term of office NPC Cabinet President Paramount leader
1   Zhou Enlai
周恩来
(1898–1976)
Beijing At-large
1 October 1949 15 September 1954 26 years, 3 months and 1 week CP Zhou I Mao Zedong
27 September 1954 18 April 1959 I Zhou II Mao Zedong
18 April 1959 21 December 1964 II Zhou III Liu Shaoqi Mao Zedong
21 December 1964 4 January 1975 III Zhou IV Liu Shaoqi then vacant Mao Zedong
4 January 1975 8 January 1976 IV Zhou V Abolished Mao Zedong
Geneva Conference in 1954, Asian-African Conference, 1972 Nixon visit to China, Great Leap Forward, Cultural Revolution, introduction of Four Modernizations during Conference on Scientific and Technological Work
Offices: Foreign Minister (1949–1958), CPPCC Chairman (1954–1976)
†Died in office (cancer)
2   Hua Guofeng
华国锋
(1921–2008)
Hunan At-large
31 January 1976 7 April 1976 4 years, 7 months and 6 days IV (acting) Abolished Mao Zedong
7 April 1976 5 March 1978 Hua I Abolished Himself
5 March 1978 10 September 1980§ V Hua II Abolished Deng Xiaoping
Two Whatevers, Tiananmen Incident, Downfall of the Gang of Four, Sino-Vietnamese War, One Child Policy
Offices: Governor of Hunan (1970–1976), Minister of Public Security (1975–1977), Vice Premier (1975–1976)
§ Ousted
3   Zhao Ziyang
赵紫阳
(1919–2005)
Beijing At-large
10 September 1980 6 June 1983 7 years, 2 months and 2 weeks V (acting) Abolished Deng Xiaoping
6 June 1983 24 November 1987§ VI Zhao Li Xiannian Deng Xiaoping
Chinese economic reform, Sino-British Joint Declaration, Joint Declaration on the Question of Macau, Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
Offices: Governor of Guangdong (1974–1975), Governor of Sichuan (1975–1980)
§ Resigned
4   Li Peng
李鹏
(1928–2019)
Beijing At-large
24 November 1987 25 March 1988 10 years, 3 months and 3 weeks VI (acting) Li Xiannian Deng Xiaoping
25 March 1988 15 March 1993 VII Li P. I Yang Shangkun Deng Xiaoping
Jiang Zemin
15 March 1993 17 March 1998 VIII Li P. II Jiang Zemin
Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, Three Gorges Dam, Transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong
Offices: Chairman of State Education Commission (1985–1988), Vice Premier (1983–1987)
5   Zhu Rongji
朱镕基
(1928–)
Hunan At-large
17 March 1998 15 March 2003 4 years, 11 months, 3 weeks and 5 days IX Zhu Jiang Zemin
Accession to the World Trade Organization, signing of China-ASEAN Free Trade Area agreement, extensive reform of the tax system, reform of the civil service examination system, opening senior- and mid-level government positions to public selection based on merit, cutting bureaucratic waste and red tape, investing state capital in transportation, energy and agriculture, execution purge of corrupt provincial politicians who misallocated infrastructure and agriculture funds.
Offices: Mayor of Shanghai (1987–1991), Governor of People's Bank of China (1993–1995), First-ranking Vice Premier (1993–1998)
6   Wen Jiabao
温家宝
(1942–)
Gansu At-large
15 March 2003 16 March 2008 10 years X Wen I Hu Jintao
16 March 2008 15 March 2013 XI Wen II Hu Jintao
SARs outbreak, Anti-Secession Law, H5N1 avian flu outbreak, 2008 Sichuan earthquake, Beijing Summer Olympics, Shanghai Expo, expansion of healthcare insurance coverage, abolishment long-standing agricultural tax because of rural discontent and increasing wealth gap.[1]
Offices: Vice Premier (1998–2003)
7   Li Keqiang
李克强
(1955–2023)
Shandong At-large (until 2018)
Guangxi At-large (from 2018)
15 March 2013 18 March 2018 9 years, 11 months, 3 weeks and 3 days XII Li K. Xi Jinping
18 March 2018 11 March 2023 XIII Xi Jinping
2014 Ludian earthquake, COVID-19 pandemic, Beijing Winter Olympics, comprehensively deepening reforms, common prosperity, streamline administration and delegate power.
Offices: First-ranking Vice Premier (2008–2013)
8   Li Qiang
李强
(1959–)
Yunnan At-large
11 March 2023 Incumbent 1 year and 1 week XIV Li Q. Xi Jinping
Offices: Governor of Zhejiang (2012–2016)

Timeline edit

Li QiangLi KeqiangWen JiabaoZhu RongjiLi PengZhao ZiyangHua GuofengZhou Enlai

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Yu, Hao (1 September 2015). "Universal health insurance coverage for 1.3 billion people: What accounts for China's success?". Health Policy. 119 (9): 1145–1152. doi:10.1016/j.healthpol.2015.07.008. PMC 7114832. PMID 26251322.