Brief #144: State Council’s New Organisational Structure
On March 20, the newly-appointed State Council published lists of its constituent departments and state administrations, thereby confirming the organisational structure.
This new organisational structure reflects the institutional restructuring plan unveiled in March and should remain stable until the next leadership reshuffle in 2027/2028.
This brief is divided into three sections: Institutional Restructuring, State Council Bodies and Nameplates. Given the number of tables, this post is best viewed with a browser.
Institutional Restructuring
This round of institutional restructuring follows the pattern of the last thirty years: every five years, leadership reshuffles are followed by changes in institutional setup.
At its Second Plenum in February, the Communist Party Central Committee approved the Party and State Institutional Reform Plan (党和国家机构改革方案).
The part of this plan that pertains to central government institutions is called the State Council Institutional Reform Plan (国务院机构改革方案). This plan was approved in March at the annual session of the National People’s Congress, where a new state leadership was appointed.
The newly-appointed State Council approved a new institutional setup and working rules at its first plenary meeting on March 17.
On March 20, the State Council published lists of its bodies, confirming its new organisational structure.
State Council Bodies
Categories of State Council bodies include:
- General Office of the State Council 国务院办公厅
- Departments Constituting the State Council 国务院组成部门
- Special Organisations Directly Under the State Council 国务院直属特设机构
- Organisations Directly under the State Council 国务院直属机构
- Administrative Offices of the State Council 国务院办事机构
- Public Institutions Under the State Council 国务院直属事业单位
- National Administrations Under the Ministries and Commissions 部委管理的国家局
- Deliberation and Coordination Bodies of the State Council 国务院议事协调机构
References: the Organic Law of the State Council (中华人民共和国国务院组织法) and the Regulations on Management of the Establishment and Staffing of the Administrative Agencies of the State Council (国务院行政机构设置和编制管理条例).
1. General Office of the State Council 国务院办公厅
The General Office of the State Council supports the leaders of the State Council in their daily work. This includes organising meetings, issuing documents, and communicating with provincial-level governments.
2. Departments Constituting the State Council 国务院组成部门
State Council has 26 constituent departments, including 21 ministries, three commissions, the People’s Bank of China, and the National Audit Office. Each department is responsible for carrying out the State Council’s basic administrative functions within its respective area of responsibility.
Any proposals to establish, dissolve, or merge departments of the State Council must be made by the Premier and pass a legislative approval process.
| 外交部 | Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
| 国防部 | Ministry of National Defense |
| 国家发展和改革 委员会 |
National Development and Reform Commission |
| 教育部 | Ministry of Education (keeps for external purposes the nameplate of the State Language Commission 国家语言文字工作委员会) |
| 科学技术部 | Ministry of Science and Technology |
| 工业和信息化部 | Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (keeps for external purposes the nameplates for the China National Space Administration 国家航天局 and the China Atomic Energy Authority 国家原子能机构) |
| 国家民族事务委员会 | National Ethnic Affairs Commission |
| 公安部 | Ministry of Public Security |
| 国家安全部 | Ministry of State Security |
| 民政部 | Ministry of Civil Affairs |
| 司法部 | Ministry of Justice |
| 财政部 | Ministry of Finance |
| 人力资源和社会保障部 | Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (nameplate of the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs 国家外国专家局 is added to the Ministry) |
| 自然资源部 | Ministry of Natural Resources (keeps for external purposes the nameplate of State Oceanic Administration 国家海洋局.) |
| 生态环境部 | Ministry of Ecology and Environment (keeps for external purposes the nameplate of National Nuclear Safety Administration 国家核安全局.) |
| 住房和城乡建设部 | Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development |
| 交通运输部 | Ministry of Transport |
| 水利部 | Ministry of Water Resources |
| 农业农村部 | Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (nameplate of National Rural Revitalization Administration 国家乡村振兴局 is added to the Ministry.) |
| 商务部 | Ministry of Commerce |
| 文化和旅游部 | Ministry of Culture and Tourism |
| 国家卫生健康委员会 | National Health Commission |
| 退役军人事务部 | Ministry of Veterans Affairs |
| 应急管理部 | Ministry of Emergency Management |
| 中国人民银行 | People's Bank of China |
| 审计署 | National Audit Office |
3. Special Organisations Directly Under the State Council 国务院直属特设机构