# Deputy Secretary-General of the State Council

The office of Deputy Secretary-General of the State Council (Chinese: 国务院副秘书长) functions as the deputy to the Secretary-General. Currently, seven people serve as deputy secretary-general. The Deputy Secretary-General can hold concurrent positions. In general the Deputy Secretary-General has equivalent administrative rank as a vice minister of the state, though occasionally some Deputy Secretaries General will hold the rank of a minister.
Historically, the Deputy Secretary-General has been a powerful position. Its title holders are often involved in the day-to-day management of government and has direct access to the state council's most important officeholders, including the Premier and Vice-Premiers. Many Deputy Secretaries-General are later promoted to higher positions such as leading a ministry or a province. Ma Kai and Wang Yang eventually ascended to become Vice-Premier.

## List of officeholders

| Name (birth–death) | Chinese characters | Took office | Left office | Tenure | Notes |
| Qi Yanming (1907–1978) | 齐燕铭 | 1 November 1954 | March 1965 | 10 years, 120 days | |
| Tao Xijin (1908–1992) | 陶希晋 | 1 November 1954 | August 1959 | 4 years, 273 days | |
| Chang Lifu (1912–2006) | 常黎夫 | 1 November 1954 | February 1959 | 4 years, 92 days | |
| Zhang Ce (1911–1999) | 张策 | 1 November 1954 | April 1958 | 3 years, 151 days | |
| Gong Zirong (1914–1995) | 龚子荣 | 1 November 1954 | March 1965 | 10 years, 120 days | |
| Zeng Yifan (1907–1967) | 曾一凡 | 1 November 1954 | March 1965 | 10 years, 120 days | |
| Yang Fangzhi (1908–2003) | 杨放之 | 1 November 1954 | May 1966 | 11 years, 181 days | |
| Zhao Shougong (1912–1979) | 赵守攻 | August 1958 | February 1965 | 6 years, 184 days | |
| Yang Dongchun (1900–1979) | 杨东莼 | August 1959 | May 1966 | 6 years, 273 days | |
| Tong Xiaopeng (1914–2007) | 童小鹏 | August 1959 | May 1966 | 6 years, 273 days | |
| Feng Xuan (1915–1986) | 冯铉 | August 1959 | March 1965 | 5 years, 212 days | |
| Gao Dengbang (1914–1993) | 高登榜 | August 1959 | May 1966 | 6 years, 273 days | |
| Lu Yuwen (1900–1968) | 卢郁文 | August 1959 | March 1965 | 6 years, 273 days | |
| Zhou Rongxin (1917–1976) | 周荣鑫 | October 1963 | January 1965 | 1 year, 92 days | |
| Zhao Pengfei (1920–2005) | 赵鹏飞 | October 1963 | May 1966 | 2 years, 212 days | |
| Luo Qingchang (1918–2014) | 罗青长 | March 1965 | May 1966 | 1 year, 61 days | |
| Xu Ming (1919–1966) | 许明 | March 1965 | May 1966 | 1 year, 61 days | |
| Zheng Siyuan (1914–2017) | 郑思远 | March 1965 | May 1966 | 1 year, 61 days | Purged during Cultural Revolution |
| Vacant during 4th National People's Congress (1975-March 1979) |||||||
| Wu Qingtong (1924–2016) | 吴庆彤 | March 1979 | November 1985 | 6 years, 245 days | |
| Zheng Siyuan (1914–2017) | 郑思远 | March 1979 | January 1983 | 6 years, 245 days | (Second term) |
| Feng Jiping (1911–1983) | 冯基平 | July 1979 | April 1981 | 2 years, 31 days | |
| Li Liyin (1918–2010) | 李力殷 | July 1979 | August 1983 | 4 years, 153 days | |
| Du Xingyuan (1914–2011) | 杜星垣 | April 1980 | March 1981 | 334 days | |
| Song Yiping (1917–2005) | 宋一平 | May 1980 | August 1983 | 3 years, 92 days | |
| Chen Chu (1917–1999) | 陈楚 | September 1980 | December 1984 | 3 years, 122 days | |
| Mao Lianjue (1922–1985) | 毛联珏 | September 1980 | February 1982 | 1 year, 276 days | |
| Yuan Jinxiu (1922–1985) | 袁晋修 | September 1980 | 27 March 1983 | 2 years, 207 days | |
| Wang Fulin (c. 1924–2003) | 王伏林 | September 1980 | August 1983 | 2 years, 334 days | |
| Tian Jiyun (born 1929) | 田纪云 | March 1981 | 20 June 1983 | 2 years, 111 days | Later became Vice-Premier |
| Liu Zhihan (1914–2014) | 刘志汉 | May 1981 | August 1983 | 2 years, 92 days | |
| Gu Ming (1919–2008) | 顾明 | August 1981 | January 1985 | 1 year, 212 days | |
| Ma Hong (1920–2007) | 马洪 | April 1982 | August 1983 | 1 year, 122 days | |
| Zhou Shaozheng (1926–2007) | 周绍铮 | May 1982 | August 1983 | 1 year, 92 days | |
| Li Hao (born 1926) | 李灏 | August 1983 | August 1985 | 2 years, 0 days | |
| Ai Zhisheng (1928–1997) | 艾知生 | August 1983 | April 1985 | 1 year, 243 days | |
| Zhang Wenshou (1926–2009) | 张文寿 | December 1984 | 3 May 1988 | 3 years, 154 days | |
| Zhang Jingyuan (born ?) | 张镜源 | December 1984 | February 1986 | 1 year, 62 days | |
| Liu Suinian (1929–2002) | 柳随年 | August 1985 | January 1986 | 212 days | |
| Yan Ying (born 1957) | 阎颖 | August 1985 | July 1990 | 4 years, 334 days | |
| Wang Shuming (1933–2013) | 王书明 | November 1985 | June 1993 | 7 years, 212 days | |
| Bai Meiqing (born 1931) | 白美清 | December 1985 | July 1990 | 4 years, 212 days | |
| Li Chang'an (born 1935) | 李昌安 | 12 June 1987 | July 1993 | 6 years, 19 days | |
| Chang Jie (born 1929) | 常捷 | July 1987 | November 1990 | 3 years, 123 days | |
| He Chunlin (born 1933) | 何椿霖 | 3 May 1988 | March 1998 | 9 years, 302 days | |
| Liu Zhongde (1933–2012) | 刘忠德 | 3 May 1988 | July 1990 | 2 years, 59 days | Later became Minister of Culture |
| Li Shizhong (born ?) | 李世忠 | 3 May 1988 | February 1995 | 6 years, 274 days | |
| Xi Dehua (1933–2013) | 席德华 | 3 May 1988 | May 1995 | 6 years, 363 days | |
| An Chengxin (1939–2012) | 安成信 | 3 May 1988 | May 1993 | 4 years, 363 days | |
| Liu Zhongli (born 1934) | 刘仲藜 | July 1990 | 4 September 1992 | 2 years, 65 days | Later became Minister of Finance |
| Xu Zhijian (born 1935) | 徐志坚 | July 1990 | 10 December 1996 | 6 years, 162 days | |
| Liu Jimin (born 1938) | 刘济民 | June 1993 | March 1998 | 4 years, 273 days | |
| Li Shuwen (born 1940) | 李树文 | July 1993 | March 1998 | 4 years, 243 days | |
| Zhang Kezhi (1941–2004) | 张克智 | July 1993 | March 1998 | 4 years, 243 days | |
| Liu Qibao (born 1953) | 刘奇葆 | July 1994 | March 1998 | 3 years, 243 days | Later became Head of the Propaganda Department of the Communist Party |
| Zhang Zuoji (1945–2021) | 张左己 | November 1994 | 18 March 1998 | 3 years, 137 days | Later became Governor of Heilongjiang province |
| Jin Renqing (born 1944) | 金人庆 | May 1995 | November 1995 | 184 days | Later became Minister of Finance |
| Yang Jingyu (born 1936) | 杨景宇 | May 1995 | March 1998 | 2 years, 304 days | |
| Zhou Zhengqing (born 1935) | 周正庆 | June 1995 | March 1998 | 2 years, 273 days | |
| Shi Xiushi (born 1942) | 石秀诗 | September 1996 | December 2000 | 4 years, 132 days | |
| Cui Zhanfu (born 1942) | 崔占福 | September 1996 | January 2003 | 6 years, 137 days | |
| Ma Kai (born 1946) | 马凯 | March 1998 | March 2003 | 4 years, 306 days | Later became Vice-Premier |
| Xu Rongkai (born 1942) | 徐荣凯 | March 1998 | June 2001 | 3 years, 92 days | |
| Xu Shaoshi (born 1951) | 徐绍史 | 9 January 2001 | April 2007 | 6 years, 104 days | Later became Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission |
| You Quan (born 1954) | 尤权 | January 2001 | December 2006 | 5 years, 355 days | Later became party chief of Fujian province |
| Gao Qiang (born 1944) | 高强 | July 2001 | April 2003 | 1 year, 304 days | Later became Minister of Health |
| Jiao Huancheng (born 1949) | 焦焕成 | July 2002 | October 2015 | 13 years, 109 days | Director of the General Administration for State Organs |
| Wang Yang (born 1955) | 汪洋 | March 2003 | 5 January 2006 | 2 years, 310 days | Later became Vice-Premier |
| Chen Jinyu (born 1946) | 陈进玉 | 1 May 2003 | 30 December 2006 | 3 years, 243 days | |
| Li Shishi (born 1953) | 李适时 | 31 December 2003 | 28 February 2008 | 4 years, 59 days | |
| Zhang Yong (born 1953) | 张勇 | 31 December 2003 | April 2015 | 9 years, 60 days | |
| Zhang Ping (born 1946) | 张平 | 5 January 2006 | 18 March 2008 | 2 years, 73 days | Later became Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission |
| Xiang Zhaolun (born 1959) | 项兆伦 | 30 December 2006 | April 2013 | 6 years, 92 days | Chief of the Office of the Premier |
| Lou Jiwei (born 1950) | 楼继伟 | March 2007 | September 2007 | 214 days | Later became Minister of Finance |
| Wang Yongqing (born 1959) | 汪永清 | 14 March 2008 | 3 April 2018 | 17 years, 2 days | |
| You Quan (born 1954) | 尤权 | 18 March 2008 | 18 December 2012 | 3 years, 89 days | (second term) |
| Wang Yong (born 1955) | 王勇 | 18 March 2008 | 21 September 2008 | 187 days | Later became Chairman of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission |
| Qiu Xiaoxiong (born 1955) | 丘小雄 | 18 March 2008 | 15 June 2011 | 3 years, 89 days | |
| Bi Jingquan (born 1955) | 毕井泉 | 18 March 2008 | April 2015 | 6 years, 315 days | |
| Wang Xuejun (born 1952) | 王学军 | 27 July 2008 | March 2013 | 4 years, 217 days | Later became governor, then party chief of Anhui province |
| Xiao Yaqing (born 1959) | 肖亚庆 | 16 February 2009 | February 2016 | 6 years, 350 days | Chief of Staff to Vice-Premier Ma Kai |
| Ding Xuedong (born 1960) | 丁学东 | June 2010 | 23 July 2013 | 3 years, 52 days | Chief of staff to Vice-Premier Hui Liangyu Later became chairman and CEO of the China Investment Corporation |
| Jiang Xiaojuan (born 1957) | 江小涓 | 15 June 2011 | 22 June 2018 | 9 years, 105 days | Chief of staff to Vice-Premier Liu Yandong |
| Xiao Jie (born 1957) | 肖捷 | March 2013 | November 2016 | 3 years, 237 days | Executive Deputy Secretary-General (minister-level) Chief of staff to Premier Li Keqiang Later became Minister of Finance |
| Ding Xiangyang (born 1959) | 丁向阳 | March 2013 | 8 April 2021 | 12 years, 1 day | Chief of staff to Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli, then to Vice-Premier Han Zheng |
| Shu Xiaoqin (born 1959) | 舒晓琴 | April 2013 | 10 April 2020 | 12 years, 1 day | Director of the Bureau of Letters and Calls |
| Wang zhongwei (born 1955) | 王仲伟 | April 2013 | September 2015 | | |
| Jiang Zelin (born 1959) | 江泽林 | April 2015 | February 2018 | 2 years, 283 days | Chief of staff to Vice-Premier Wang Yang |
| Meng Yang (born ?) | 孟杨 | May 2015 | Incumbent | 9 years, 307 days | Director of the First Secretarial Department |
| Peng Shujie (born 1963) | 彭树杰 | December 2015 | 4 July 2023 | 7 years, 208 days | |
| Ding Xuedong (born 1960) | 丁学东 | March 2017 | 4 July 2023 | 6 years, 95 days | (Second term) Executive Deputy Secretary-General (minister-level) since May 2018 Chief of staff to Executive Vice Premier Han Zheng, then to Executive Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang |
| Li Baorong (born 1958) | 李宝荣 | April 2017 | June 2022 | 7 years, 349 days | |
| Xiao Jie (born 1957) | 肖捷 | 2 November 2017 | 19 March 2018 | 137 days | (Second term) |
| Lu Junhua (born 1962) | 陆俊华 | June 2018 | 19 August 2021 | 6 years, 267 days | |
| Gao Yu [zh] (born 1961) | 高雨 | 10 October 2019 | 30 November 2021 | 2 years, 51 days | |
| Li Wenzhang [zh] (born 1962) | 李文章 | 10 April 2020 | 4 July 2023 | 3 years, 85 days | Also the director of National Public Complaints and Proposals Administration |
| Liu Jianbo (birth year unclear) | 刘建波 | 20 May 2021 | Incumbent | 3 years, 300 days | |
| Guo Wei (birth year unclear) | 郭玮 | 22 July 2021 | Incumbent | 3 years, 237 days | |
| Wang Zhiqing [zh] (born 1966) | 王志清 | 30 November 2021 | Incumbent | 3 years, 106 days | |
| Wang Zhijun (born 1965) | 王志军 | 4 July 2023 | Incumbent | 1 year, 255 days | Executive Deputy Secretary-General (minister-level) Chief of staff to Executive Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang |
| Wang Yonghong (born 1969) | 王永红 | 4 July 2023 | Incumbent | 1 year, 255 days | Also the director of National Government Offices Administration |
| Xu Shouben (born 1969) | 徐守本 | 30 August 2023 | Incumbent | 1 year, 198 days | |