In February 1951, the Politburo set up a leading small group of six, among them Zhou Enlai and Chen Yun, to organize and direct the drafting of the First Five-Year Plan. Such groups, today often called commissions, decide and coordinate the most important policy areas under the Central Committee.
The top leader often heads them himself. In December 1992, General Secretary Jiang Zemin became head of the restored Central Leading Group for Financial and Economic Affairs. Today its successor, the Central Financial and Economic Commission, is chaired by the General Secretary.