About The PRC Central Government

The PRC Central Government

1. The State Council and its Organization
2. Organization charts of the State Council

The State Council and its Organization

1. The State Council
2. Ministries and Commissions
3. State Bureaus under Ministries and Commissions
4. Organizations directly under the State Council
5. Institutions directly under the State Council
6. The Top-ranking PRC Civil Servants

1. The State Council （國務院）

The State Council is the Central People's Government and is the highest administrative body in the country. The State Council is also the executive body of the National People's Congress. The State Council has a Premier and Vice Premiers. Next in rank are State Councilors. Next come the ministers who are the heads of various ministries and Commissions. Ministries and commissions are equal in rank.

Under the Constitutional Law of the PRC, the National People's Congress (the NPC) appoints the Premier according to the nomination of the PRC president, and according to the nomination of the Premier, appoints Vice Premiers, ministers, the heads of People's Bank of China and the National Audit Office.

Note that the People's Bank of China and the National Audit Office are also ministerial set-ups. The People's Bank of China (PBOC) is the central bank of China.

2. Ministries and Commissions （國務院部委）

• Ministry of Commerce (MOC) *
• Ministry of Finance
• Ministry of Information Industry
• Ministry of Communications
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Ministry of Labor and Social Security
• Ministry of Justice
• Ministry of Public Security
• Ministry of Education
• Ministry of National Defense
• State Planning Development Commission
• The People's Bank of China 
• The National Audit Office

In March 2003, the first Session of the 16th NPC passed a decision that both the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation (MOFTEC) and The State Economic and Trade Commission ceased to exist, and the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) was formed to take their place.

Please refer to the website www1.cei.gov.cn/govinfo/ for information concerning other ministries and commission.

3. State Bureaus under Ministries and Commissions （部委管理的局）

• The State Administration of Foreign Exchange (the SAFE)
• The State Administration of Foreign Expert Affairs
• The State Administration of Cultural Heritage
• The State Ocean Administration

Please refer to the website www1.cei.gov.cn/govinfo/ for information concerning other State Bureaus.

4. Organizations directly under the State Council （國務院直屬機構）

Under the PRC State Council Organization Law, the State Council itself has the statutory power to set up "the organizations directly under the State Council", without the requirement for approval by the NPC. Organizations directly under the State Council also exercise the same administrative function as the ministries. They can also issue binding rules to be followed by individuals and legal persons throughout the country. Similarly Institutions directly under the State Council also perform some regulatory functions.

Some of the organizations directly under the State Council are as follows:-

• The State Administration of Taxation (the SAT);
• The General Administration of Customs;
• The State Administration of Industry and Commerce;
• The State Press and Publication Administration;
• The National Tourist Administration;
• The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine;
• State Food and Drug Administration
• State Intellectual Property Office

After the close of the first Session of the 16th National People's Congress, the State Food Administration and the State Drug Administration were merged to a new State Food and Drug Administration. That re-organization was introduced after the Premier Wen Jiabao took office. Such change as provided under the PRC State Organization Law does not require the approval of the NPC.

5. Institutions directly under the State Council（國務院直屬事業單位）

• China Security Regulatory Commission
• China Insurance Regulatory Commission
• Xin Hua News Agency

The above institutions, with delegated power under the Law, also perform certain administrative functions.

6. The Top-ranking PRC Civil Servants

• The Premier
• The Vice Premiers
• The State Councilors
• The Ministers and commissioners
• The Vice ministers

Note that the governor of a province is equal in rank to the Minister. The Chief Executives of Hong Kong and Macau Special Administrative Regions are respectively equal in rank to the Minister.

Organization chart of the State Council

The State Council Organization Law (the Law) prescribes the set-up of the various organizations and institutions directly under the State Council, other than the ministries and commissions. The Law provides that the State Council has the authority over the establishment, re-organization, and the abolition of the various organizations and institutions and the change in personnel without the need to obtain approval from the NPC.