Paramount leader (Simplified Chinese: 国家最高首领; pinyin: guojia zuigao shouling, literally "the highest leader of the country"), in modern Chinese political science, unofficially refers to the political leader of the People's Republic of China who controls the three branches of the Chinese political system (Communist Party of China, People's Republic of China and People's Liberation Army). This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Hanyu Pinyin (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ), commonly called Pinyin, is the most common variant of Standard Mandarin romanization system in use. ... Political science is the field of the social sciences concerning the theory and practice of politics and the description and analysis of political systems and political behavior. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Government of the Peoples Republic of China. ... The Communist Party of China (CPC) (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ), also known as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the ruling political party of the Peoples Republic of China, a position guaranteed by the countrys constitution. ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

The paramount leader may hold or have held one or more of the following offices:

• Chairman/General Secretary of the Communist Party of China
• President of the People's Republic of China
• Chairman of the Central Military Commission

The paramount leader may be able to wield power without necessarily holding any official or formally significant governmental position. The most notable example is former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping who held supreme power in the People's Republic of China roughly from 1978 to 1994 without officially holding the top political offices. The General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee (Chinese: 中国共产党中央委员会总书记 pinyin: Zhōngguó GòngchÇŽndÇŽng Zhōngyāng WÄ›iyuánhuì ZÇ’ngshÅ«jì) is the highest ranking official within the Communist Party of China and heads the Secretariat of the Communist Party of China. ... The President of the Peoples Republic of China (Simplified Chinese: 中华人民共和国主席; Pinyin: Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó ZhÇ”xí, or abbreviated Guójiā ZhÇ”xí 国家主席) is the head of state of the Peoples Republic of China. ... The Central Military Commission (Chinese: 中央军事委员会 pinyin: Zhōngyāng JÅ«nshì WÄ›iyuánhuì ) refers to one of two bodies within the Peoples Republic of China. ... Deng Xiaoping   (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Teng Hsiao-ping; August 22, 1904–February 19, 1997) was a leader in the Communist Party of China (CCP). ...

To date, "paramount leader" has been applied to five individual Chinese statesmen (dates approximate and open to dispute):

• Mao Zedong (1949-1976)
• Hua Guofeng (1976-1978)
• Deng Xiaoping (1978-1992)
• Jiang Zemin (1992-2004)
• Hu Jintao (2004-Present)

The term was commonly applied to Mao Zedong, who at times ruled with practically absolute power, and Deng Xiaoping, who was the most influential person in the PRC despite not holding the most powerful official positions. Following the death of Deng Xiaoping, the term has seldom been used since power is held more-or-less collectively by the members of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China Central Committee with different factions jockeying for influence. Policy decisions are thought to be made via majority vote of Standing Committee members following internal discussions.^[1]. For example, though Jiang Zemin left the Standing Committee in 2002 and resigned all his posts in 2004, members of the Shanghai clique (of which Jiang is a member), still retains a majority in the Standing Committee. “Mao” redirects here. ... Hua Guofeng (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: Huà GuófÄ“ng; Wade-Giles: Hua Kuo-feng) (born February 16, 1921) was Mao Zedongs designated successor as the paramount leader of the Communist Party of China and the Peoples Republic of China. ... Deng Xiaoping   (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Teng Hsiao-ping; August 22, 1904–February 19, 1997) was a leader in the Communist Party of China (CCP). ... Jiāng Zémín (Traditional Chinese: 江澤民, Simplified Chinese: 江泽民, Hanyu Pinyin: Jiāng Zémín, Wade-Giles: Chiang Tse-min, Cantonese (Jyutping): gong1 zaak6 man4) (born August 17, 1926) was the core of the third generation of Communist Party of China leaders, serving as General Secretary of the Communist... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China (Simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: ) is a committee whose membership varies between 5 and 9 and includes the top leadership of the Communist Party of China. ... The Shanghai clique is an informal name for officials in Chinese Communist Party especially central government of the Peoples Republic of China or CCP centre who rose to prominence in the Shanghai city administration under Jiang Zemin or used to be subordinates of Jiang. ...

Leadership transition takes several months. For instance, in the case of Hu Jintao:

• General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (November 2002)
• President of the People's Republic of China (March 2003)
• Chairman of the Central Military Commission (September 2004)

Usually the office as Chairman of the Central Military Commission is the last office handed over by the previous paramount leader, in order to secure political influence and ensure political continuity. The General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee (Chinese: 中国共产党中央委员会总书记 pinyin: Zhōngguó Gòngchǎndǎng Zhōngyāng Wěiyuánhuì Zǒngshūjì) is the highest ranking official within the Communist Party of China and heads the Secretariat of the Communist Party of China. ... The President of the Peoples Republic of China (Simplified Chinese: 中华人民共和国主席; Pinyin: Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó Zhǔxí, or abbreviated Guójiā Zhǔxí 国家主席) is the head of state of the Peoples Republic of China. ... The Central Military Commission (Chinese: 中央军事委员会 pinyin: Zhōngyāng Jūnshì Wěiyuánhuì ) refers to one of two bodies within the Peoples Republic of China. ... The Central Military Commission (Chinese: 中央军事委员会 pinyin: Zhōngyāng Jūnshì Wěiyuánhuì ) refers to one of two bodies within the Peoples Republic of China. ...

See also

• paramount chief (merely tribal or other traditional context, no empire)
• paramount ruler (similar prominence, but monarchic)
• strongman

A paramount chief is the highest-level traditional (usually tribal) chief or political leader in a region or country typically administered politically with a chief-based system. ... The term Paramount Ruler, or sometimes Paramount King, is a generic description, rarely an actual title, for a number of rulers position in relative terms, as the summit of a feudal-type pyramid of rulers of lesser polities (such as vassal princes) in a given historical and geographical context, often... {{For the athletic meaning, see strength athlete}} A strongman is a political leader who rules by force and runs an authoritarian regime. ...

References

1. ^ BBC: How China is ruled