The Central Leading Group for Taiwan Affairs is an internal policy coordination group of the

Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party The Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, officially the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, is the Central committee, highest organ when the National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, national congress is not ...

, reporting to the

Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party The Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party, officially the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, is the executive committee of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party. Currently, the bureau i ...

, in charge of supervising and coordinating China's policy of unification towards

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

. It was established in 1979 and has been led by the

General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party 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 Part ...

since 1989.

History

The first CCP decision-making body related to Taiwan was established in July 1954 by the CCP Central Committee based on

Mao Zedong Mao Zedong pronounced ; traditionally Romanization of Chinese, romanised as Mao Tse-tung. (26December 18939September 1976) was a Chinese politician, revolutionary, and political theorist who founded the People's Republic of China (PRC) in ...

's suggestion, named the Central Leading Group for Taiwan Affairs. Additionally, Premier

Zhou Enlai Zhou Enlai ( zh, s=周恩来, p=Zhōu Ēnlái, w=Chou1 Ên1-lai2; 5 March 1898 – 8 January 1976) was a Chinese statesman, diplomat, and revolutionary who served as the first Premier of the People's Republic of China from September 1954 unti ...

was put in charge of Taiwan-related work. The work of the group was, along with almost all other leading groups, suspended during the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a Social movement, sociopolitical movement in the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). It was launched by Mao Zedong in 1966 and lasted until his de ...

. After the end of the Cultural Revolution, the Central Leading Group was restored in December 1979.

Functions

The group is the top policy body of the CCP in affairs related to Taiwan. Since the PRC considers Taiwan part of its own territory, the group is outside China's foreign affairs system. The group's executive arm is the Office of the Central Leading Group for Taiwan Affairs, which has the external name of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council under the "

one institution with two names "One institution with two names" () is a bureaucratic arrangement in the Government of China, Chinese government wherein a government agency exists in name only, and its functions are in practice performed by another agency or a Chinese Communist ...

" system.

Membership

The group has been led by the CCP general secretary since its founding. Additionally, the

chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference The chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference is the leader of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), which is a political advisory body in th ...

has been its deputy leader, while the director of the Office of the

Central Foreign Affairs Commission The Foreign Affairs Commission of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, commonly called the Central Foreign Affairs Commission, is a commission of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) that exercises general ...

has been its secretary-general. Other members have included a vice premier, a

vice chairman of the Central Military Commission The Vice Chairmen of the Central Military Commission are deputies to the Chairman of the Central Military Commission (China), chairman of the Central Military Commission. Currently, Zhang Youxia is serving as vice chairman. According to militar ...

, heads of the CCP General Office, Central Propaganda Department, and the

United Front Work Department The United Front Work Department (UFWD) is a department of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) tasked with " united front work". It gathers intelligence on, manages relations with, and attempts to gain influence over ...

, the

Minister of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and foreign relations, relations, diplomacy, bilateralism, ...

, the Minister of Commerce, the Minister of State Security, and the director of the

Taiwan Affairs Office The Taiwan Affairs Office is an administrative agency under the State Council of the People's Republic of China (PRC). It is responsible for cross-strait relations and sets and implements guidelines and policies related to Taiwan, which is cl ...

Leadership

Deng Yingchao Deng Yingchao (; 4 February 1904 – 11 July 1992) was the Chairwoman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference from 1983 to 1988, a member of the Chinese Communist Party, and the wife of the first Chinese Premier, Zhou Enlai. ...

(1979–1987) #

Yang Shangkun Yang Shangkun (3 August 1907 – 14 September 1998) was a Chinese Chinese Communist Party, Communist military and political leader, president of the People's Republic of China from 1988 to 1993, and one of the Eight Elders that dominated the par ...

(1987–1989) #

Jiang Zemin Jiang Zemin (17 August 1926 – 30 November 2022) was a Chinese politician who served as General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 1989 to 2002, as Chairman of the Central Mil ...

(1989–2004) #

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 ...

(2004–2012) #

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 ...

(2012–present)

Current composition

; Leader *

, General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party,

President of the People's Republic of China The president of China, officially the president of the People's Republic of China, is the List of state representatives of the People's Republic of China, state representative of the China, People's Republic of China. On its own, it is a Fig ...

; Deputy Leader * Wang Huning,

Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference The chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference is the leader of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), which is a political advisory body in th ...

; Chief of General Office * Song Tao ; Secretary-General * Wang Yi ; Members : ''Unknown''

References