Governing China: Some Realities

This article describes how the Standing Committee of the State Council (SCSC), sometimes called the Chinese cabinet, works at the centre of the governing process and makes its decisions. It identifies the role of the premiers and the vice premiers and explains the responsibilities of ministers who answer to the SCSC for the complex issues they must manage. The broad picture stresses the degree to which decision making is a collaborative process as no one person can understand the implications of all policy options for such a vast country.