The Presidium plays a leading role in organizing the work of the NPC and provides the chairs of meetings. Its members are elected from among the deputies at a preliminary meeting.

NPC Rules of Procedure stipulate that the NPC Standing Committee should raise a list of candidates for the Presidium. This is passed to the various delegations for deliberation. A meeting of the NPC chairmen will then amend the list according to the wishes of the delegations and submit the revised list back for approval.

Typically the membership of the Presidium would include:

leaders of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and of the state;

leaders of the central committees of non-Communist parties;

leaders of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce

citizens with no party affiliations;

leaders at national level in the government, the army and mass organizations;

representatives from special economic regions and from Hong Kong and Macao;

model workers;

representatives of the armed forces;

representatives of such sectors as business, science and technology, education, culture, health, sport, religion and overseas Chinese;

representatives of ethnic minorities with large populations;

heads of delegations.