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Current Affairs

Why leading Chinese scientists are rising to the top in the Communist Party

The number of members from China’s leading scientific and engineering institutes in the top ranks of the Communist Party has doubled over the course of…

By Samantha Johnson / April 21, 2026

The number of members from China’s leading scientific and engineering institutes in the top ranks of the Communist Party has doubled over the course of a decade, according to a new report.

It said the number of academicians in the party’s 18th Central Committee, selected in 2012, stood at 15, accounting for around 3.5 per cent of the total membership.

But when the 20th Central Committee started its five-year term in 2022, this total had risen to 30, around 8 per cent of the total, including seven full members.

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The Central Committee has more than 350 members – including full and alternate – and is a key decision-making body for directing policy and endorsing changes to the party leadership.

This increase is particularly noteworthy, as scientists historically had limited direct representation in the party’s top leadership and instead acted as consultants.

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Meanwhile, provincial leaders, military officers and senior political figures typically dominated the upper ranks.

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