Wang Yi

Foreign minister

Wang Huning

Director, Central ­Policy Research ­Office

As head of the ­Communist Party’s top research office, Wang’s role is a ­combination of ­national policy ­adviser and chief speech writer. He is seen during almost all key domestic and ­international trips made by President Xi Jinping. He has gained respect among the upper echelon for his ­academic depth, political neutrality and caution.

Xu Shaoshi

Director, National ­Development and ­Reform Commission

Xu is the country’s top economic ­planner and oversees the NDRC, which is sometimes called “the small State Council”. Despite more than three ­decades of market reform, the NDRC retains sweeping power to regulate all major industries and approve projects with billion-yuan budgets, from ­airports to railways and car plants.

Liu He

Director, General Office of Central Leading Group on Economic and Financial Affairs

Wang Yang

Vice-premier

Zhou Xiaochuan

Governor, People’s Bank of China

Zhou is responsible for making and ­applying monetary policy for the world’s second-largest ­economy. Zhou is believed to have been at the centre of almost every change China has made to its financial system, from reshaping state banking to setting up the bond market to smooth the way for the yuan’s global push.

Lou Jiwei

Finance minister

Gao Hucheng

Commerce minister

Gao has experience in both the government and business sectors, including serving as a deputy general manager at China Resources Enterprise in the 1990s. The fluent French speaker, an experienced trade negotiator, was removed intact despite reports about his son’s controversial employment at JP Morgan.

Yang Jiechi

State councillor

An experienced diplomat, Yang has quietly risen to the top position to oversee the country’s international policies. Yang, who outranks Foreign Minister Wang Yi, has often played an important role as China sought to ease tensions amid international disputes.