Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party
中国共产党中央委员会政治局

Information
General Secretary	Xi Jinping
Elected by	Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party
Responsible to	Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party
Seats	24
Meeting place
Huairen Hall, Zhongnanhai Beijing, China

The Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party is a very important group. It helps make big decisions for the Communist Party of China.

Right now, it has 24 top leaders. They guide the party and the government. The Politburo is led by a General Secretary. But here's something special: a smaller group, called the Politburo Standing Committee, holds even more power. It has only 7 members from the main Politburo.

The Politburo is supposed to be chosen by the Central Committee. However, experts believe that current and past members actually pick the new ones. They hold informal votes to see who has enough support. This process starts with a private meeting before the big National Congress.

The Politburo is powerful because its members often hold other important jobs. These include roles in the Chinese government or as leaders in different regions. The Politburo also controls who gets appointed to many important positions. We don't know exactly how the Politburo works. But it seems they meet once a month. The smaller Standing Committee meets every week. The General Secretary sets the meeting topics. Decisions are made by everyone agreeing, not by voting.

In the 1980s, another group, the Secretariat, became more important. But after 1987, the Politburo became the main decision-maker again.

How Politburo Members Are Chosen

Since the 1990s, Politburo members have held many different jobs. They work in the party, the government, or as regional leaders. Only a few members work in the military or security. In the 1980s, many more members came from military backgrounds.

In 2017, the Politburo had 25 members. Six members worked for the party. Six worked for the national government. Six were regional leaders. Three were from the military. The average age of members in 2017 was 62. This is similar to past decades. Before that, leaders like Deng Xiaoping encouraged older members to retire. This made sure new people could join.

In October 2017, a new rule was made. All Politburo members must write a yearly report. They send this report to the Central Committee and the General Secretary. In March 2018, all members gave their first reports to General Secretary Xi Jinping.

Before 2017, members were chosen through a process called "democratic recommendation." This involved a large straw poll of many candidates. However, this method was stopped in 2017. It was found that people were "buying votes" or voting based on personal favors. This was linked to a big anti-corruption effort. Now, members are chosen through "face-to-face interviews, investigation and study."

Training for Leaders

The Chinese Communist Party trains its future leaders. This training is called "cadre training." In 2001, a plan was made to improve this training. It became very important for China's economic changes.

Teachers at party schools now earn similar salaries to those at regular universities. Teaching methods and technology have also been updated. This allows for online learning across the party school system.

Modern training focuses on "quality" and "ability." Students learn about party rules and discipline. Young leaders are taught to use their knowledge in new ways. They learn to solve problems and keep learning new things. Important party schools in places like Shanghai and Shenzhen lead this training.

What the Politburo Does

The Politburo and its Standing Committee are the top groups for making decisions. They guide the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party.

The Politburo often holds study sessions. These are a chance for leaders to introduce new policies. Since 2002, these sessions have been shared widely with the public. They often talk about China's relationships with other countries.

Current Politburo Members

The newest Politburo was chosen in October 2022. This happened at the first meeting of the 20th Central Committee.

See also

In Spanish: Buró Político del Comité Central del Partido Comunista de China para niños

• Collective leadership
• Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party
  • Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party
    • General Secretary
  • Central Secretariat