Premier vs President

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New2grammar

#518548 Sat, 24 May 08 08:23 PM

Why is the leader of China sometimes addressed as Premier and sometimes, President? Are they the same?

China's Premier Wen Jiabao Saturday gave U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon a dramatic look at damage caused by the massive quake that hit Sichuan province earlier this month as the death toll from the catastrophe jumped past 60,000.

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New2grammar

Joined on Tue, Nov 21 2006

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Tanit

#518557 Sat, 24 May 08 09:06 PM

Sorry, I know nothing about politics in China. Sad

All I can say is that in some countries (mine, for instance) "Premier" is the "Prime Minister" (the head of the government), while "President" is the person with the highest political position. It is somewhat similar to what happens in the UK, where they have a prime minister (now, Gordon Brown) and a queen (now, Elizabeth II) instead of a president -- well, that's obvious, since the UK is not a republic. Stick out tongue

In some other countries, the president is also head of the government, and as such he's also premier (if I'm not mistaken, this happens in France).

Do you know how it works in China? This should help!

Tanit

Joined on Mon, Jul 31 2006

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New2grammar

#518559 Sat, 24 May 08 09:16 PM

I made a mistake in my original post. The Chinese president is Hu Jintao. I have no idea who Wen Jiabao really is. All I know is he's a high ranking official but definitely not royal because the royal empire was overthrown about a decade ago if I'm not mistaken. Maybe this guy is the vice president of China. Perhaps, someone who knows Chinese politics well can shed some light.

Thanks, Tanit. It does help somewhat!

New2grammar