The politburo is the central decision making body for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and is headed by the General Secretary of the CCP (who is usually also the president of China). The politburo constitutes a group of 25 officials, including 7-8 of whom form the Standing Committee and are viewed to hold the highest political power in China. The politburo oversees the handling of day-to-day affairs for the CCP, as well as the management of important issues and incidents (e.g. the COVID-19 pandemic) in the country.