Premier Li Qiang Presides Over State Council Oath Ceremony

Beijing — Premier Li Qiang presided over a constitutional oath ceremony at the State Council on June 9, 2026, where 37 newly appointed officials from 33 government departments and units swore allegiance to the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China. The ceremony, held in the afternoon, was conducted in accordance with the Constitution and the State Council’s measures for organizing constitutional oaths for appointed state personnel.

Ceremony Protocol

State Councilor and Secretary-General of the State Council Wu Zhenglong announced the start of the ceremony. All participants stood and sang the national anthem before the lead oath-taker placed a hand on the Constitution and recited the oath, with other officials standing in formation and reciting in unison, according to People’s Daily.

Premier’s Address

Following the oath, Premier Li Qiang delivered a speech emphasizing the heightened standards expected of those stepping into new leadership positions. He stressed the importance of political integrity, professional capability, and exemplary work style.

Li called on the newly appointed officials to deeply study and comprehend Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and to resolutely implement the decisions of the Party Central Committee. He urged them to “take the lead in respecting the rule of law, uphold the authority of the Constitution, strictly administer according to law, and consciously use legal thinking and legal methods to advance work and solve problems,” as reported by Xinhua News Agency.

Linking to Broader Party Campaigns

A significant portion of Li’s remarks connected the oath ceremony to the Party-wide education campaign on “establishing and practicing the correct view of performance” (正确政绩观), a 2026 initiative aimed at combating formalism and ensuring officials focus on tangible results. The Premier emphasized the need to “adhere to seeking truth from facts, conduct in-depth investigation and research, comprehensively understand the actual situation in all aspects, accurately grasp the development trend, and promptly discover emerging and trending issues.”

Li further stressed the importance of pragmatic governance, urging officials to “insist on speaking the truth, doing practical work, and seeking practical results” and to serve as “executors, doers, and doers” of the Party Central Committee’s decisions.

The Constitutional Oath System

China’s constitutional oath system was established by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress on July 1, 2015, and took effect on January 1, 2016, following its proposal at the 18th CPC Central Committee’s 4th Plenary Session in October 2014. The system was formally enshrined in Article 27 of the Constitution in March 2018, when President Xi Jinping became the first head of state to take the constitutional oath.

The current oath text reads: “I swear: I will be loyal to the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China, uphold the authority of the Constitution, fulfill my legal duties, be loyal to the country and the people, perform my duties diligently, be honest and upright, accept the supervision of the people, and strive for the construction of a prosperous, strong, democratic, civilized, harmonious, and beautiful socialist modernized country!”

Previous Ceremonies

This ceremony follows a previous State Council oath ceremony held on December 19, 2025, which involved 47 officials from 35 departments, also presided over by Premier Li Qiang. The first State Council constitutional oath ceremony was held on September 18, 2016, presided over by then-Premier Li Keqiang. At the international level, 97 of 142 countries with written constitutions had similar oath systems at the time of China’s adoption, according to Wikipedia.

Analysis and Implications

The ceremony serves multiple purposes within China’s political system. On one level, it is a routine administrative procedure that reinforces the constitutional basis for newly appointed officials’ authority. On another, it functions as a public demonstration of the government’s commitment to rule of law — a core component of the Party’s “governing the country according to law” (依法治国) framework.

The explicit linkage between the oath ceremony and the “correct view of performance” campaign signals continued pressure on officials to deliver measurable results while avoiding formalism. This has potential implications for policy implementation across various government departments, as newly appointed leaders are expected to prioritize pragmatic outcomes.

Critics, however, note that China’s constitutional oath system operates within a one-party framework where the Constitution remains subordinate to Party leadership, raising questions about the practical limits of constitutional governance in the country’s political structure.

What to Watch For

The 37 officials appointed across 33 departments will be expected to align their work with the priorities outlined in Li’s speech. Observers will be watching for concrete policy initiatives emerging from these departments in the coming months, particularly those that reflect the “correct view of performance” emphasis on practical, measurable outcomes. The next State Council oath ceremony is expected when the next round of senior appointments is finalized.