A collective study session () is a periodic gathering of the

Politburo A politburo () or political bureau is the highest organ of the central committee in communist parties. The term is also sometimes used to refer to similar organs in socialist and Islamist parties, such as the UK Labour Party's NEC or the Poli ...

of the

Chinese Communist Party The Communist Party of China (CPC), also translated into English as Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Founded in 1921, the CCP emerged victorious in the ...

(CCP).

History

Collective study sessions in their current form began under

CCP General Secretary The general secretary of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party ( zh, s=中国共产党中央委员会总书记, p=Zhōngguó Gòngchǎndǎng Zhōngyāng Wěiyuánhuì Zǒngshūjì) is the leader of the Chinese Communist Party ...

Hu Jintao Hu Jintao (born 21 December 1942) is a Chinese retired politician who served as the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 2002 to 2012, the president of China from 2003 to 2013, and chairman of the Central Military Comm ...

in December 2002. Between December 2002 and July 2021, the Politburo has convened a total of 151 collective study sessions; 77 under the leadership Hu and 74 under the leadership of

Xi Jinping Xi Jinping, pronounced (born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who has been the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Chairman of the Central Military Commission (China), chairman of the Central Military Commission ...

Description

The collective study sessions serve as an opportunity for CCP leadership to promote new policies. They generally take place shortly after the standard meetings, usually on the same day or the day after. The Politburo invites professors, think tank scholars or other experts to give a lecture to the Politburo members about a topic chosen by the General Secretary. Though how the topics are chosen is unknown, the General Secretary is thought to have the final say, with the

Central Policy Research Office The Central Policy Research Office (CPRO) is an institution of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party responsible for providing policy recommendations and insights to matters of governance, spanning political, social, and economic rea ...

(CPRO) playing a leading role and with consultation with the CCP General Office. According to the China Social Science Net, the topics are either recommended by Politburo members relevant to the policy areas under their purview, or submitted by personnel within the General Office, leading small groups, CCP commissions and other policy institutions. Topics range from history, ideology, philosophy, economics, security, foreign policy, environmental policy, social policy and Party policy. Once the topic is decided, the General Office invites relevant departments to help the CPRO decide on speakers, with the approval of the General Office. The General Office then coordinates the content and preparations for the session. The preparation for the meeting is extensive, with consultations with the General Office and the CPRO, drafting of the lecture and its review, trial lectures and vetting. The sessions are held in a conference room within the

Huairen Hall The Huairen Hall or Huairentang () is a building inside Zhongnanhai, the Chinese government's leadership compound in Beijing. It has been the site of several major events in Chinese history. Huairen Hall is the main meeting place of the Politburo ...

. The meetings last for around two hours, with the first eighty minutes allocated to a lecture by one or more speakers, followed by thirty minutes of discussion with Politburo members where attendees ask questions and discuss the topic after the lecture, and ending with ten minutes of concluding remarks by the General Secretary. These lectures often end with "work recommendations" for the Politburo and conclude with a speech by the General Secretary on the study topic. The collective study sessions are often publicized and play an important role to signal leadership priorities to cadres.{{Cite web , title=Politburo , url=https://www.strategictranslation.org/glossary/politburo , url-status=live , archive-url= , archive-date= , access-date=2025-02-09 , website=The Center for Strategic Translation , language=en

References

Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party

History

Description

See also

References