Home
News
Current Congressional Highlights
About the CPC
CPC FAQs
CPC Graphic Profile
Previous Congress
Meetings
15th Central Cmte.
Election
Cadre Selection and
Appointment
Provincial Leaders
Speeches and
Documents
Major Achievements
Photos Charting
China's Progress
Profiles of Party
Members
Women Delegates
Photographic Journal
Weather

More About China
China in Brief
China Through a Lens
China's Political System
China's Judicial System
Ethnic Groups
China Statistics
China: Facts & Figures
Govt. White Papers
NPC & CPPCC 2002
Taiwan
Tibet
Religions in China
China's Human Rights

Links to National
Media Sites
china.org.cn
Xinhua News Agency
People's Daily
China Daily
CRI
CCTV

Links to Provincial
Media Sites
Dragon News Net
E-north (Tianjin)
Eastday.com
Southcn.com


What's the membership of the Central Committee? How are the members elected?

Since the founding of the Communist Party of China in 1921, there have been fifteen Central Committees. The members of the Central Committee are elected at the Party's National Congress. Their term of office is five years, but will change accordingly if the National Congress is held ahead of schedule or put off due to extreme and unforeseen circumstances. Members and alternate members of the Central Committee must have been Party members for at least five years.

The quotas of members and alternate members of the Central Committee are determined by the Party's National Congress. A member vacancy in the Central Committee is usually filled by an alternate member according to votes. The membership of the first fifteen Central Committees has varied:

First Central Committee: 3 members;

Second Central Committee: 6 members;

Third Central Committee: 9 members;

Fourth Central Committee: 9 members;

Fifth Central Committee: 32 members;

Sixth Central Committee: 23 members;

Seventh Central Committee: 44 members;

Eighth Central Committee: 97 members;

Ninth Central Committee: 170 members;

Tenth Central Committee: 195 members;

11th Central Committee: 201 members;

12th Central Committee: 210 members;

13th Central Committee: 175 members;

14th Central Committee: 193 members;

15th Central Committee: 193 members.

(Notes: The above figures exclude the number of supplementary and alternate members.)