Han Zheng (; born April 1955) is a Chinese politician who, since 2023, has served as the 11th vice president of China. He previously served as the first-ranking vice premier of China between 2018 and 2023, and as the seventh-ranking member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) between 2017 and 2022.
Han served as CCP deputy committee secretary and mayor of Shanghai between 2003 and 2012. In November 2012, he was promoted to become the CCP committee secretary of Shanghai, the top political post in the city, and also gained a seat on the CCP Politburo. In October 2017, he became a member of the 19th CCP Politburo Standing Committee, the top decision-making body in China, and in March 2018 became the first-ranked vice premier of China. During this tenure he served as the CCP's top leader in regards to Hong Kong and Macau affairs, presiding over the government's response to the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests and the 2021 Hong Kong electoral changes.
Han retired from the Politburo Standing Committee, as well as the broader Central Committee after the 20th CCP National Congress in October 2022. At the 2023 National People's Congress in March 2023, Han was elected the vice president of China and a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress. Regarded as "number eight" in seniority of the leadership of China and a close adviser to CCP general secretary and Chinese president Xi Jinping, Han's ceremonial role in the state government has focused on foreign affairs and diplomacy. He has served as Xi's special representative at events such as the coronation of Charles III and Camilla in 2023 and the second inauguration of Donald Trump in 2025.
Early career
He was born in Shanghai in April 1955, but traces his ancestry to Cixi, in neighboring Zhejiang province. He was a sent-down youth during the Cultural Revolution, working at a collective farm in Chongming County, Shanghai. He later worked at a warehouse of a lifting installation company, later working at the company's supply and marketing division. He additionally served as a deputy secretary of the Communist Youth League of China (CYLC) between 1975 and 1980. He joined the Chinese Communist Party in 1979.
He then worked at the Shanghai Chemical Equipment Industry company in an administrative role between 1980 and 1982.
He was the CCP secretary and deputy director of the Dazhonghua Rubber Plant between 1988 and 1990. Between 1983 and 1985, he additionally attended a two-year college program in Fudan University, and later completed an undergraduate degree in politics at the East China Normal University between 1985 and 1987 through part-time studies.
Career in Shanghai
In July 1995, Han was named deputy secretary-general of the Shanghai Municipal People's Government, during which he was made the deputy CCP secretary of the Municipal Comprehensive Economic Work Committee, the director of the City Planning Commission, and the director of the Securities Management Office. In December 1997, he was named a member of the municipal CCP Standing Committee for the first time, entering sub-provincial ranks. Han assumed the party secretary post in November 2012, shortly after the conclusion of the 18th CCP National Congress, and also gained a seat on the 18th Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party. Due to his long career in Shanghai, Han is considered to be a member of the Shanghai clique.
In March 2018 the National People's Congress appointed him as the first-ranked vice premier of the State Council in Li Keqiang Government.
Hong Kong
Han succeeded Zhang Dejiang as the leader of the Central Coordination Group for Hong Kong and Macau Affairs in April 2018, making him the CCP's top leader in regards to Hong Kong and Macau affairs. The Central Coordination Group was later upgraded to a Central Leading Group in 2020.
Han was a key figure in the Chinese leadership's response during the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests. According to a Reuters report in 2019, shortly after the storming of the Legislative Council Complex, Han Zheng authorized Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam to directly communicate with his office, rather than go through the Hong Kong Liaison Office.
Vice President
thumb|Han with British foreign secretary [[James Cleverly in 2023]]
thumb|Han Zheng with Russian President [[Vladimir Putin in Beijing during Putin's visit to China in May 2024]]
After the 20th CCP National Congress in October 2022, Han Zheng retired from the Politburo Standing Committee, as well as the broader Central Committee, at the age of 67. He was subsequently elected as a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress (NPC), the only departing PSC member to do so. On 10 March 2023, Han was elected during the first session of the 14th NPC as the vice president of China, succeeding Wang Qishan. As vice president, Han is known as "number eight" in seniority of the leadership of China, after the seven-member Politburo Standing Committee while his role in the government remains ceremonial
As vice president, Han has taken part in diplomatic activities. Han was CCP general secretary and president Xi Jinping's special representative at the coronation of Charles III and Camilla in May 2023. In August, Han met with British foreign secretary James Cleverly in Beijing. He additionally attended the general debate of the seventy-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly, giving a speech on 21 September. Han also met with US secretary of state Antony Blinken on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly that month. In October, Han attended the inauguration of Prabowo Subianto as the eighth president of Indonesia. On 10 October, he succeeded Wang Qishan as the honorary president of the Red Cross Society of China. He attended the second inauguration of Donald Trump on 20 January 2025 as President Xi's special representative. Han's attendance marks the first time a senior official of China's government has been sent to a US presidential inauguration. Han's presence at the event, as he is a trusted senior official, was seen by commentators as representative of Xi's interest in strengthening China–United States relations. Han attended separate meetings with incoming US vice president JD Vance and Trump ally Elon Musk before the inauguration, where Han and each of the two reaffirmed this directive to promote agreement and stable relations between their respective countries.
Family
Han Zheng is married to Wang Ming, who reportedly once served as a vice chair of the Shanghai Charity Foundation. They have one daughter.