The 17th
National Congress of the
Chinese Communist Party
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victoriou ...
was held in Beijing, China, at the
Great Hall of the People
The Great Hall of the People is a state building located at the western edge of Tiananmen Square in Beijing. It is used for legislative and ceremonial activities by the government of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the ruling Chinese Co ...
from 15 to 21 October 2007. Congress marked a significant shift in the political direction of the country as
CCP General Secretary
The general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party () is the Party leader, head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the One-party state, sole ruling party of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). Since 1989, the CCP general secr ...
Hu Jintao
Hu Jintao (born 21 December 1942) is a Chinese politician who served as the 16–17th general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 2002 to 2012, the 6th president of the People's Republic of China (PRC) from 2003 to 2013, an ...
solidified his position of leadership. Hu's signature policy doctrine, the
Scientific Development Concept
The Scientific Outlook on Development (), sometimes translated to either the scientific development concept, or as the scientific development perspective, is one of the guiding socio-economic principles of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
T ...
, which aimed to create a "
Socialist Harmonious Society
The Harmonious Society (; also known as Socialist Harmonious Society) is a socioeconomic concept in China that is recognized as a response to the increasing alleged social injustice and inequality emerging in mainland Chinese society as a result ...
" through egalitarian wealth distribution and concern for the country's less well-off, was enshrined into the Party Constitution. It was succeeded by the
18th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party.
[Chinese slogans mark Hu era](_blank)
Lindsay Beck (Reuters
Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world.
The agency was estab ...
)
The Congress also set up the political scene for a smooth transition to the
fifth generation of party leadership, introducing rising political stars
Xi Jinping
Xi Jinping ( ; ; ; born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who has served as the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), and thus as the paramount leader of China, s ...
and
Li Keqiang to the
Politburo Standing Committee
The Politburo Standing Committee (PSC), officially the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, is a committee consisting of the top leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Histori ...
(PSC), the country's ''de facto'' top decision-making body. Vice-President
Zeng Qinghong
Zeng Qinghong (born 30 July 1939) is a retired Chinese politician. He was a member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, China's highest leadership council, and top-ranked member of the Secretariat of the Central ...
, an important ally of former General secretary
Jiang Zemin
Jiang Zemin (17 August 1926 – 30 November 2022) was a Chinese politician who served as general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 1989 to 2002, as chairman of the Central Military Commission from 1989 to 2004, and as pres ...
, retired from the PSC. Party anti-graft chief
Wu Guanzheng, and Legal and Political Commission chief
Luo Gan
Luo Gan (; born July 18, 1935) is a retired Chinese politician. Between 2002 and 2007, Luo was one of China's top leaders, serving as a member of the nine-man Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, and as the Secretary of ...
also retired due to age, replaced by
He Guoqiang
He Guoqiang (; born October 1. 1943) is a retired senior leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Between 2007 and 2012, He was a member of the Politburo Standing Committee (PSC), China's highest ruling council, and the Secretary of the Cent ...
and
Zhou Yongkang
Zhou Yongkang (born 3 December 1942) is a former senior leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). He was a member of the 17th Politburo Standing Committee (PSC), China's highest decision-making body, and the Secretary of the Central Politic ...
in their respective posts.
Significance
A
Communist Party Congress is a significant event in Chinese politics since it nominally decides the leadership of the People's Republic of China. (The Politburo Standing Committee makes major policy decisions for the government to implement and the
National People's Congress
The National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China (NPC; ), or simply the National People's Congress, is constitutionally the supreme state authority and the national legislature of the People's Republic of China.
With 2, ...
in the following March will elevate its members to top government positions.) The 17th Party Congress is estimated to attract over 1350 foreign and domestic journalists.
Although the Congress formally elects the Central Committee and Politburo, in practice these positions are negotiated before the congress, and the Congress has never functioned as a
deliberative assembly
A deliberative assembly is a meeting of members who use parliamentary procedure.
Etymology
In a speech to the electorate at Bristol in 1774, Edmund Burke described the British Parliament as a "deliberative assembly," and the expression became the ...
. Nominees to Party positions are invariably elected by wide margins, with a tightly controlled candidate-to-position ratio. There is room for symbolic
protest vote
A protest vote (also called a blank, null, spoiled, or "none of the above" vote) is a vote cast in an election to demonstrate dissatisfaction with the choice of candidates or the current political system. Protest voting takes a variety of forms a ...
s ("no" or "abstain" votes) that embarrass the party leadership. Despite its symbolic nature, it maintains an important role because it is the occasion at which the results of these deliberations are publicly announced, and in which the PRC leadership faces both domestic and foreign reporters in a press conference.
Since the mid-1980s, the Communist Party has attempted to maintain a smooth and orderly succession and avoid a
cult of personality
A cult of personality, or a cult of the leader, Mudde, Cas and Kaltwasser, Cristóbal Rovira (2017) ''Populism: A Very Short Introduction''. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 63. is the result of an effort which is made to create an id ...
, by having a major shift in personnel every ten years in even-number party congresses, and by promoting people in preparation for this shift in odd-number party congresses. These mechanisms have been institutionalized by mandatory retirement ages, and provisions in both the Party and state constitutions that limit the term of office of officials to two five-year terms.
Effects on incumbent leadership
Based on established convention, Hu Jintao was confirmed for another term as the party's General Secretary, setting the scene for his re-election as state
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
at the
National People's Congress
The National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China (NPC; ), or simply the National People's Congress, is constitutionally the supreme state authority and the national legislature of the People's Republic of China.
With 2, ...
in March 2008. Wen Jiabao, too, retained his seat on the PSC and continued to serve as Premier. In addition odd-number party congresses have also served as forums in which the top leadership has institutionalized their policy views as additions to party doctrine, in preparation for their retirement at the next party congress. Hu's version of this doctrine is termed the
Scientific Development Concept
The Scientific Outlook on Development (), sometimes translated to either the scientific development concept, or as the scientific development perspective, is one of the guiding socio-economic principles of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
T ...
to develop a "
socialist harmonious society
The Harmonious Society (; also known as Socialist Harmonious Society) is a socioeconomic concept in China that is recognized as a response to the increasing alleged social injustice and inequality emerging in mainland Chinese society as a result ...
", which followed
Marxism-Leninism,
Mao Zedong Thought,
Deng Xiaoping Theory and the ''
Three Represents
The Three Represents or the important thought of Three Represents is a guiding socio-political theory within China credited to then-general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Jiang Zemin, which was ratified at the Sixteenth Party ...
'' as a guiding ideology in the Party's constitution.
Succession planning
More interesting and unpredictable were the selection of the younger cadres who will be promoted to the
Politburo
A politburo () or political bureau is the executive committee for communist parties. It is present in most former and existing communist states.
Names
The term "politburo" in English comes from the Russian ''Politbyuro'' (), itself a contraction ...
, China's ''de facto'' ruling body. The youngest person currently on the
Politburo
A politburo () or political bureau is the executive committee for communist parties. It is present in most former and existing communist states.
Names
The term "politburo" in English comes from the Russian ''Politbyuro'' (), itself a contraction ...
prior to the congress was only two years younger than Hu, and consequently, there was widespread speculation that Hu's successor would not come from the members serving on the Politburo prior to the congress but rather from the next generation of leaders. Prior to the congress, speculation was rife on who would be named as Hu's successor. Although the subject of succession speculation is largely taboo within the mainland Chinese media, Hong Kong and Taiwan media, as well as international media, predicted that the top candidates would be
Xi Jinping
Xi Jinping ( ; ; ; born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who has served as the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), and thus as the paramount leader of China, s ...
and
Li Keqiang, then serving as party chief in Shanghai and Liaoning, respectively.
Effects on lower party officials
In addition, as people at the top level of the party retire, there is room for younger members of the party to move up one level. Hence the party congress is a time of a general personnel reshuffle, and the climax of negotiations that involve not only the top leadership but practically all significant political positions in Mainland China. Notably, fifth-generation leadership hopefuls Xi Jinping and Li Keqiang will leave vacancies in the top leadership position of Shanghai and
Liaoning
Liaoning () is a coastal province in Northeast China that is the smallest, southernmost, and most populous province in the region. With its capital at Shenyang, it is located on the northern shore of the Yellow Sea, and is the northernmost ...
. In addition,
Hubei
Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The prov ...
,
Guangdong
Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...
,
Chongqing
Chongqing ( or ; ; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), Postal Romanization, alternately romanized as Chungking (), is a Direct-administered municipalities of China, municipality in Southwes ...
and possibly
Tianjin
Tianjin (; ; Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Tientsin (), is a municipality and a coastal metropolis in Northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the nine national central cities in Mainland China, with a total popul ...
will all go through regional leadership changes. Because of the pyramid structure of the party and the existence of mandatory retirement ages, cadres who are not promoted at a party congress are likely to face the end of their political careers. Current provincial-level officials see the Congress as a chance for promotion to Beijing. The Congress will also be significant in determining the amount of influence still held by former General secretary
Jiang Zemin
Jiang Zemin (17 August 1926 – 30 November 2022) was a Chinese politician who served as general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 1989 to 2002, as chairman of the Central Military Commission from 1989 to 2004, and as pres ...
, as reflected by the personnel changes.
Although Hong Kong has its separate political system, Congress is being watched closely by the
Special Administrative Region as well. Hong Kong media has often been very vocal in speculation and in reporting events of the Congress. The political direction set by the decisions will have a large impact on the direction of Hong Kong's development in the coming years as well.
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
, which recently made another series of moves provoking Beijing, will pay attention to the 17th Congress due to the variations in the direction determined by the current leadership, even though it is very unlikely that China's Taiwan policy will change.
Delegates
2,213 delegates were elected as delegates to the Congress through a series of staggered elections in which one level of the party elects delegates to the next higher party congress. An additional 57 veteran (mostly retired) communist leaders were appointed directly as delegates. This system has the effect that the party leadership through the
Organization Department of the Chinese Communist Party
The Organization Department of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party () is a human resource management department of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party that controls staffing positions within the CCP.
The Or ...
can control elections and block the election of anyone it finds unacceptable.
The great majority of these are
cadre
Cadre may refer to:
*Cadre (military), a group of officers or NCOs around whom a unit is formed, or a training staff
*Cadre (politics), a politically controlled appointment to an institution in order to circumvent the state and bring control to th ...
s, but about 30% are model workers, and there are about 20 private businesspeople.
The number of candidates shortlisted by local Central Committees was 15% more than the number of delegates required, allowing local Party Congress members some degree of choice in the election. State media claimed this was "an improvement over past practices" (5% more in 1997 and 10% more in 2002), but noted heavy supervision of the election process by national Party authorities.
In addition, elected delegates had to be approved by the 17th Delegate Status Inspection Committee, and the National Central Committee reserved the right to "select some veteran Party members who have quit their leading posts to attend the upcoming Party congress as specially-invited delegates".
Two prominent delegates are known to have died since the election finished in April 2007, Major-General Wang Shaojun, and former Vice-Premier
Huang Ju
Huang Ju (28 September 1938 – 2 June 2007) was a Chinese politician and a high-ranking leader in the Chinese Communist Party. He was a member of the Politburo Standing Committee, China's top decision making body, between 2002 until his death in ...
.
Elections and Work Reports
Many party positions will be elected, including the following:
*The
Politburo
A politburo () or political bureau is the executive committee for communist parties. It is present in most former and existing communist states.
Names
The term "politburo" in English comes from the Russian ''Politbyuro'' (), itself a contraction ...
(about two dozen members elected by the Central Committee;
expected to change about half its membership
[Anticipating Chinese Leadership Changes at the 17th Party Congress]
Cheng Li (Jamestown Foundation
The Jamestown Foundation is a Washington, D.C.-based conservative defense policy think tank. Founded in 1984 as a platform to support Soviet defectors, its stated mission today is to inform and educate policy makers about events and trends, which ...
''China Brief'').), including its
Standing Committee
A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...
*The wider
Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party
The Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, officially the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, is a political body that comprises the top leaders of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It is currently composed of 205 fu ...
(approximately 350 full and alternative members elected by the whole Congress;
[FACTBOX: China's 17th Communist Party Congress]
(Reuters) about 60% to change)
*The General Secretary
*
Secretariat of the CCP Central Committee
*The
Central Military Commission, include the
Supreme Military Command
*The
Discipline Inspection Commission
Central Committee election
The election process was supervised by Secretariat Secretary
Zeng Qinghong
Zeng Qinghong (born 30 July 1939) is a retired Chinese politician. He was a member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, China's highest leadership council, and top-ranked member of the Secretariat of the Central ...
, although he himself was not part of the new Central Committee.
Most of those elected will take up the equivalent state positions after the
National People's Congress
The National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China (NPC; ), or simply the National People's Congress, is constitutionally the supreme state authority and the national legislature of the People's Republic of China.
With 2, ...
in 2001, although key positions and existing vacancies on the
State Council State Council may refer to:
Government
* State Council of the Republic of Korea, the national cabinet of South Korea, headed by the President
* State Council of the People's Republic of China, the national cabinet and chief administrative auth ...
may change before and during the Congress. In the Central Committee elections on 21 October 2008, the margin of dropped off candidates was 8.3%, a three-point percentage increase from last year. The increased percentage seems to signify greater "inner Party democracy", and increased power among the delegates (i.e., only 204 out of 221 candidates shortlisted for the Central Committee survived the electoral process). In the new central committee, 107 of the 204 members are new members.
Hu Jintao's work report
General Secretary Hu Jintao's keynote report was prepared by
Wen Jiabao
Wen Jiabao (born 15 September 1942) is a retired Chinese politician who served as the Premier of the State Council from 2003 to 2013. In his capacity as head of government, Wen was regarded as the leading figure behind China's economic policy ...
.
It was delivered to the first session of the Congress on 15 October 2007, and lasted well over two hours, and was broadcast on all major television and radio stations in the country. The event marked the first major live public address by Hu since taking over power in 2002. It laid heavy emphasis on Hu's ''Scientific Development Perspective'' as the current guiding ideology in succession to Deng Xiaoping Theory and the ''
Three Represents
The Three Represents or the important thought of Three Represents is a guiding socio-political theory within China credited to then-general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Jiang Zemin, which was ratified at the Sixteenth Party ...
'', with the goal of continuing ''Socialism with Chinese characteristics'' and eventual ''socialist harmonious society''.
Western media have generally concentrated on the lack of novelty with Hu's speech, citing that there was no references to political reform during the report. The Communist Party's grip on power is unlikely to waver for another period of time. Domestically, however, Hu's ideology is a novel addition to the current ideologies of the CCP, adding more of a populist focus, although the political rhetoric in the report was apparent. Hu stressed inner-party democracy, and repeated the word "democracy" 60 times in the speech according to
Xinhua
Xinhua News Agency (English pronunciation: )J. C. Wells: Longman Pronunciation Dictionary, 3rd ed., for both British and American English, or New China News Agency, is the official state news agency of the People's Republic of China. Xinhua ...
. In addition, Hu received applause a total of over 40 times, well over Jiang's record of 16 five years earlier.
During the speech, former General secretary Jiang Zemin seemed very tired, was constantly yawning, and was not paying much attention. Jiang seldom talked to Wen Jiabao, who was sitting to his left. Wen was paying full attention to Hu's speech for its entire length. Hong Kong media noted that Jiang left the Great Hall without shaking anyone's hand and that no one came up to shake his. Surprisingly, Mao's successor
Hua Guofeng
Hua Guofeng (; born Su Zhu; 16 February 1921 – 20 August 2008), alternatively spelled as Hua Kuo-feng, was a Chinese politician who served as Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party and Premier of the People's Republic of China. The design ...
also attended the Congress as a delegate. All the surviving members of the 14th and 15th PSC's were present, including former Premiers
Li Peng
Li Peng (; 20 October 1928 – 22 July 2019) was a Chinese politician who served as the fourth Premier of the People's Republic of China from 1987 to 1998, and as the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, Chi ...
and
Zhu Rongji
Zhu Rongji (; IPA: ; born 23 October 1928) is a retired Chinese politician who served as Premier of the People's Republic of China from 1998 to 2003 and CCP Politburo Standing Committee member from 1992 to 2002 along with the Chinese Communist ...
, but with the exception of Jiang rival
Qiao Shi.
There were work reports from key party leaders and institutions, providing the Party's analysis of the previous quinquennium and its agenda for the next five years. It is possible that the speech will also answer calls for ''inner-party democracy'', i.e. decentralization within the one-party system.
Press conference
After the plenary sessions, there was a rare press conference by the Politburo Standing Committee. Newcomer Li Keqiang looked a bit stiff while Xi Jinping looked shy.
Issues before the Congress
*September 2006:
Shanghai Party chief Chen Liangyu
Chen Liangyu (; born October 24, 1946, in Shanghai) is a Chinese politician best known for his tenure as the Communist Party Secretary of Shanghai, the city's top office, and a member of the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party, from 200 ...
is arrested on corruption charges. This is perceived as an attack on the
Shanghai Gang
The Shanghai clique (), also referred to as the Shanghai gang, Jiang clique, or Jiang faction, refers to an informal group of Chinese Communist Party ( CCP) officials who rose to prominence under former CCP General Secretary Jiang Zemin while h ...
by the Hu-Wen alliance.
[Political cliques 'violate basic party principles': Government mouthpiece in veiled attack on 'Shanghai Gang'](_blank)
Cary Huang (''South China Morning Post
The ''South China Morning Post'' (''SCMP''), with its Sunday edition, the ''Sunday Morning Post'', is a Hong Kong-based English-language newspaper owned by Alibaba Group. Founded in 1903 by Tse Tsan-tai and Alfred Cunningham, it has remained ...
'')
*16 October: Xinhua carries an official commentary attacking "cliques" within the Party, perceived as a reference to the Shanghai clique.
*February 2007: Party elder Li Rui and retired academic Xie Tao published articles calling for the CCP to become a European-style socialist party; their remarks were condemned by the Party propaganda apparatus.
*15 March: Prime Minister Wen Jiabao told foreign journalists he supported further political reform. The remarks were initially omitted from the official transcript, allegedly on the orders of hardline propaganda chief
Li Changchun
Li Changchun (born February 1, 1944) is a retired Chinese politician and a former senior leader of the Chinese Communist Party. He served on the Politburo Standing Committee, the Communist Party's top leadership council, and as the top official ...
.
[Striving for Balance: Assessing Recent Municipal and Provincial Leadership Changes](_blank)
Willy Lam (Jamestown Foundation
The Jamestown Foundation is a Washington, D.C.-based conservative defense policy think tank. Founded in 1984 as a platform to support Soviet defectors, its stated mission today is to inform and educate policy makers about events and trends, which ...
's ''China Brief'')
*28 April: Academic
Wan Gang
Wan Gang (, born August 1952) is a Chinese expert on automobiles, former president of Tongji University (2002–2007) and former Minister of Science and Technology. He is the Chairman of the China Zhi Gong Party, a legally sanctioned minor p ...
becomes the first non-CCP minister in half a century, on being appointed Minister of Science and Technology
[Hu Jintao Battles the CCP's Crisis of Confidence](_blank)
Willy Lam (Jamestown Foundation
The Jamestown Foundation is a Washington, D.C.-based conservative defense policy think tank. Founded in 1984 as a platform to support Soviet defectors, its stated mission today is to inform and educate policy makers about events and trends, which ...
's ''China Brief'')
*25 June: In a major speech at the
Central Party School
The Central Party School of the Chinese Communist Party (), commonly known as the Central Party School (), located in Beijing, is the higher education institution which trains Chinese Communist Party (CCP) cadres. As of 2012, it has around 1,6 ...
, General Secretary Hu announces the 'Four Steadfasts': an open-minded attitude,
reform and opening up
The Chinese economic reform or reform and opening-up (), known in the West as the opening of China, is the program of economic reforms termed "Socialism with Chinese characteristics" and " socialist market economy" in the People's Republic of C ...
, and a moderately well-off (''xiaokang'') society by 2020.
[This paragraph expanded fro]
Party charter set to include Hu's theories
Ting Shi (''South China Morning Post'' 2007)
*July: Chen Liangyu is formally convicted and expelled from the Party.
*Mid-August: Top CCP leaders discussed the Congress' decisions at their annual
Beidaihe
Beidaihe District () is a popular beach resort and a district of the city of Qinhuangdao, Hebei province on China's Bohai Sea coast. It has an area of and, , a population of 66,000, as well as a coastline of . It is also known as a birding ha ...
retreat. Some Hong Kong sources claim they decided the shortlists for the new Central Committee and Politburo,
while others argued that basic PSC positions were still up for grabs.
[The date is set, now the guessing game is about the players](_blank)
Wang Xiangwei (''South China Morning Post
The ''South China Morning Post'' (''SCMP''), with its Sunday edition, the ''Sunday Morning Post'', is a Hong Kong-based English-language newspaper owned by Alibaba Group. Founded in 1903 by Tse Tsan-tai and Alfred Cunningham, it has remained ...
'' 2006)
*19 August: Five national newspapers run identical front pages
shown here, all giving prominence to General secretary Hu.
Xiao Qiang (''The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'')
*28 August: A Politburo meeting decides dates of the 17th Party Congress, and the final meeting of the 16th Central Committee.
[17th CPC National Congress proposed to convene in mid October](_blank)
(Xinhua
Xinhua News Agency (English pronunciation: )J. C. Wells: Longman Pronunciation Dictionary, 3rd ed., for both British and American English, or New China News Agency, is the official state news agency of the People's Republic of China. Xinhua ...
, New China News Agency)
*30 August: A reshuffle promoted
Meng Xuenong
Meng Xuenong (; born August 1949) is a Chinese politician. Meng worked as a factory worker in Beijing before getting involved in politics through the local Communist Youth League organization. He was the Vice Mayor of Beijing between 1993 and 200 ...
, former Mayor of Beijing and ''tuanpai'' politician, to Governor of Shanxi, whilst ousting Finance Minister
Jin Renqing
Jin Renqing (; 29 July 1944 – 28 August 2021) was a Chinese politician, member of the 16th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, serving as deputy chief of the Development Research Center of the State Council. He also served as fi ...
, who was allegedly placed in detention.
Zhang Qingwei
Zhang Qingwei (; born 7 November 1961) is a Chinese politician, business executive, and aerospace engineer who is the current Communist Party Secretary of Hunan, in office since 18 October 2021. He was Communist Party Secretary of Heilongjiang, ...
become the PRC's youngest ever minister, becoming Chairman of the
after a career in the successful space programme.
[ The Stars of China's Space Program: The Rise of a "Space Gang"?](_blank)
Kevin Pollpeter (Jamestown Foundation
The Jamestown Foundation is a Washington, D.C.-based conservative defense policy think tank. Founded in 1984 as a platform to support Soviet defectors, its stated mission today is to inform and educate policy makers about events and trends, which ...
's ''China Brief'') Ma Wen, deputy secretary of the
Central Commission for Discipline Inspection
The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) is the highest internal control institution of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), tasked with enforcing internal rules and regulations and combating corruption and malfeasance in the par ...
(CCDI), added the Ministry of Supervision to her responsibilities.
*6 September: Ma Wen gained a third role as head of a newly created
National Bureau of Corruption Prevention
The National Bureau of Corruption Prevention () was an agency of the People's Republic of China under the direct administration of the State Council. It was established in 2007 with the objective of improving government transparency, developing an ...
. Unlike the CCDI, this does not investigate individual cases and is a government, rather than Party, organ.
[China establishes national corruption prevention bureau](_blank)
(Xinhua
Xinhua News Agency (English pronunciation: )J. C. Wells: Longman Pronunciation Dictionary, 3rd ed., for both British and American English, or New China News Agency, is the official state news agency of the People's Republic of China. Xinhua ...
, New China News Agency
Xinhua News Agency (English pronunciation: )J. C. Wells: Longman Pronunciation Dictionary, 3rd ed., for both British and American English, or New China News Agency, is the official state news agency of the People's Republic of China. Xinhua ...
) This led to speculation that the Congress will highlight the Hu-Wen leadership's anti-corruption drive.
[China names head of new anti-graft body]
(Agence France-Presse
Agence France-Presse (AFP) is a French international news agency headquartered in Paris, France. Founded in 1835 as Havas, it is the world's oldest news agency.
AFP has regional headquarters in Nicosia, Montevideo, Hong Kong and Washington, D.C ...
)
*Mid-September: The
Ministry of Public Security conducted the largest
crackdown
Crackdown may refer to
* ''Crackdown'' (web series)
* ''Crackdown'' (video game series)
** ''Crackdown'' (video game)
** ''Crackdown 2
''Crackdown 2'' is an open world action-adventure video game developed by Ruffian Games and published by ...
on Web sites and data hosts in history a month before the event.
*18 September: State media announced that the Politburo had submitted an amendment to the CCP Constitution that would entrench Hu's "
Scientific Development Concept
The Scientific Outlook on Development (), sometimes translated to either the scientific development concept, or as the scientific development perspective, is one of the guiding socio-economic principles of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
T ...
" ideology alongside the theories of
Marxism-Leninism,
Mao Zedong Thought,
Deng Xiaoping Theory and Jiang Zemin's
Three Represents
The Three Represents or the important thought of Three Represents is a guiding socio-political theory within China credited to then-general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Jiang Zemin, which was ratified at the Sixteenth Party ...
. The announcement stressed the role of General Secretary Hu and phrases associated with him.
*19 September: Petitioners in Beijing's
Fengtai District ordered to move from their homes due to construction work for the 17th Party Congress; the work was completed by 26 September.
[Beijing Knocks Down Petitioners' Houses]
Alexa Olesen ( AP 27 September 2007)
*19 September: In a move predicted by the Hong Kong press,
Ling Jihua
Ling Jihua (; born 22 October 1956) is a former Chinese politician and one of the principal political advisers of former leader Hu Jintao. Ling was best known for his tenure as chief of the General Office of the Chinese Communist Party between ...
, a ''tuanpai'' member and Hu ally, replaced
Wang Gang as director of the Central Committee's General Office.
*21 September: A ''
People's Daily
The ''People's Daily'' () is the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The newspaper provides direct information on the policies and viewpoints of the CCP. In addition to its main Chinese-language ...
'' commentary heralded "new good tidings from Shanghai", adding to speculation that Shanghai chief Xi Jinping was headed for promotion, as the Shanghai Party emerged from the Chen Liangyu scandal.
[China's Communist Party mouthpiece lauds Shanghai in boost for new leader]
( AP via ''International Herald Tribune'')
*27 September: U.S.-based
Duowei
Duowei News (), originally named Chinese News Net, was a Chinese language news website established in 1999 based in New York City, United States. The website was also known as Multidimensional News, and specialized in Chinese political news.
Du ...
reported that
Wu Bangguo
Wu Bangguo (born 12 July 1941) is a retired high-ranking politician in the People's Republic of China. He was the Chairman and Chinese Communist Party Committee Secretary of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress from 2003 t ...
had undergone cancer surgery. The same day, he made his first public appearance since 31 August.
[Top Chinese legislator makes proposals on China, Russian parliamentary co-op]
(Xinhua
Xinhua News Agency (English pronunciation: )J. C. Wells: Longman Pronunciation Dictionary, 3rd ed., for both British and American English, or New China News Agency, is the official state news agency of the People's Republic of China. Xinhua ...
)
*29 September: Wu Bangguo was noticeably not present at the Politburo meeting as broadcast by ''
Xinwen Lianbo
''Xinwen Lianbo'' (, literally News Simulcast) is a daily news programme produced by China Central Television (CCTV), a state broadcaster. It is shown simultaneously by all local TV stations in mainland China, making it one of the world's most ...
'', while all other Politburo Standing Committee members were given camera time. Also unconventional was the fact that no Politburo Standing Committee members were named except for Hu Jintao.
*1 October: Hu Jintao visits Shanghai during
National Day, a day after all eight PSC members attended a National Day banquet in Beijing. The move is seen as an affirmation of Shanghai and symbolizes the unity between Shanghai and the central leadership. Hu is also to open the
Special Olympics
Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities and physical disabilities, providing year-round training and activities to 5 million participants and Unified Sports partners in 1 ...
there.
*4 October: ''Duowei'' makes their final predictions on the nine members of the new politburo. Namely, in order ranking, they are Hu Jintao, Wu Bangguo, Wen Jiabao, Jia Qinglin, Li Changchun,
Xi Jinping
Xi Jinping ( ; ; ; born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who has served as the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), and thus as the paramount leader of China, s ...
,
Li Keqiang,
He Guoqiang
He Guoqiang (; born October 1. 1943) is a retired senior leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Between 2007 and 2012, He was a member of the Politburo Standing Committee (PSC), China's highest ruling council, and the Secretary of the Cent ...
and
Zhou Yongkang
Zhou Yongkang (born 3 December 1942) is a former senior leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). He was a member of the 17th Politburo Standing Committee (PSC), China's highest decision-making body, and the Secretary of the Central Politic ...
.
*9 October: The 7th Plenum of the 16th Central Committee meets to finalize the agenda for the Congress. A key decision involving the entrenchment of Hu's ''Scientific Development Concept'' and ''
Socialist Harmonious Society
The Harmonious Society (; also known as Socialist Harmonious Society) is a socioeconomic concept in China that is recognized as a response to the increasing alleged social injustice and inequality emerging in mainland Chinese society as a result ...
'' has taken place with discussions from delegates of the 16th Central Committee.
*14 October: Taiwan-based ''
China Times
The ''China Times'' (, abbr. ) is a daily Chinese-language newspaper published in Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pa ...
'' announces their final speculative shortlist for the PSC. The list is identical to Duowei's shortlist 10 days earlier.
The leadership lineup
Hong Kong, Taiwan, and overseas media often speculate on the makeup of the leadership months before Congress takes place. During the
16th Party Congress, the speculation two months prior to the Congress on the nine members of the
Politburo Standing Committee
The Politburo Standing Committee (PSC), officially the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, is a committee consisting of the top leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Histori ...
(PSC) were entirely accurate.
Leaving the Politburo
*
Zeng Qinghong
Zeng Qinghong (born 30 July 1939) is a retired Chinese politician. He was a member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, China's highest leadership council, and top-ranked member of the Secretariat of the Central ...
, CCP Secretariat Secretary, Vice-President, ranked 5th in Politburo Standing Committee, is out of the 17th Central Committee, likely due to age. Zeng's departure also signals the solidification of Hu Jintao's power.
*
Wu Guanzheng, anti-corruption chief, ranked 7th in PSC, due to age.
*
Luo Gan
Luo Gan (; born July 18, 1935) is a retired Chinese politician. Between 2002 and 2007, Luo was one of China's top leaders, serving as a member of the nine-man Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, and as the Secretary of ...
, Political and Legislative Affairs Committee Secretary, ranked 9th in the PSC, due to age.
*
Wu Yi, Vice-Premier, China's "iron-lady", the only woman in the 16th Politburo, due to age.
*
Zeng Peiyan
Zeng Peiyan (; born December 1938) is a Chinese politician. He was a member of the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party from 2002 to 2007 and was a Vice-premier from 2003 to 2008.
Early life and career
Zeng Peiyan was born in Shaoxing, Z ...
, Vice-Premier, ranked 3rd, due to age.
*
Cao Gangchuan
Cao Gangchuan (; born December 1935) was vice chairman of the Central Military Commission and former Minister of National Defense
A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, ...
, Minister of Defence, due to age.
Politburo Standing Committee
The newly formed
Politburo Standing Committee
The Politburo Standing Committee (PSC), officially the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, is a committee consisting of the top leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Histori ...
consisted of (in order ranking)
Hu Jintao
Hu Jintao (born 21 December 1942) is a Chinese politician who served as the 16–17th general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 2002 to 2012, the 6th president of the People's Republic of China (PRC) from 2003 to 2013, an ...
,
Wu Bangguo
Wu Bangguo (born 12 July 1941) is a retired high-ranking politician in the People's Republic of China. He was the Chairman and Chinese Communist Party Committee Secretary of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress from 2003 t ...
,
Wen Jiabao
Wen Jiabao (born 15 September 1942) is a retired Chinese politician who served as the Premier of the State Council from 2003 to 2013. In his capacity as head of government, Wen was regarded as the leading figure behind China's economic policy ...
,
Jia Qinglin
Jia Qinglin (; born 13 March 1940) is a retired senior leader of the People's Republic of China and of the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP). He was a member of the CCP's Politburo Standing Committee, the party's highest ruling organ, between ...
,
Li Changchun
Li Changchun (born February 1, 1944) is a retired Chinese politician and a former senior leader of the Chinese Communist Party. He served on the Politburo Standing Committee, the Communist Party's top leadership council, and as the top official ...
, from the 16th Central Committee, in addition to four newcomers:
*Shanghai party chief
Xi Jinping
Xi Jinping ( ; ; ; born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who has served as the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), and thus as the paramount leader of China, s ...
, 54
*Liaoning party chief
Li Keqiang, 52
*CCP Organization Department head
He Guoqiang
He Guoqiang (; born October 1. 1943) is a retired senior leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Between 2007 and 2012, He was a member of the Politburo Standing Committee (PSC), China's highest ruling council, and the Secretary of the Cent ...
, 64
*Minister of Public Security
Zhou Yongkang
Zhou Yongkang (born 3 December 1942) is a former senior leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). He was a member of the 17th Politburo Standing Committee (PSC), China's highest decision-making body, and the Secretary of the Central Politic ...
, 65
The Politburo
The Politburo is made of a wider range of cadres whose average age is generally younger than that of the PSC, some of whom slated for promotion at the
18th Party Congress. It has been noted that the Politburo is a power balance between Hu's ''tuanpai'', Jiang's Shanghai clique, and the
Crown Prince Party
The Princelings (), also translated as the Party's Crown Princes, are the descendants of prominent and influential senior communist officials in the People's Republic of China. It is an informal, and often derogatory, categorization to signify tho ...
.
''In stroke order of surnames''
*
Xi Jinping
Xi Jinping ( ; ; ; born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who has served as the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), and thus as the paramount leader of China, s ...
, Top-ranked Secretary of
CCP Secretariat,
Vice-President
A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on ...
, Vice-Chairman of the
Central Military Commission, President of the
Central Party School
The Central Party School of the Chinese Communist Party (), commonly known as the Central Party School (), located in Beijing, is the higher education institution which trains Chinese Communist Party (CCP) cadres. As of 2012, it has around 1,6 ...
*
Wang Gang, Vice-Chair of
CPPCC
The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC, zh, 中国人民政治协商会议), also known as the People's PCC (, ) or simply the PCC (), is a political advisory body in the People's Republic of China and a central part of ...
National Committee
*
Wang Lequan, Party chief of Xinjiang, later Deputy Secretary of the
Political and Legislative Affairs Committee
*
Wang Zhaoguo
Wang Zhaoguo (; born 14 July 1941) is a retired Chinese politician who came to prominence during the era of Deng Xiaoping. An automobile factory technician by trade, Wang had a long and varied political career, known for having acquired a minist ...
, Vice-Chairman of
National People's Congress
The National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China (NPC; ), or simply the National People's Congress, is constitutionally the supreme state authority and the national legislature of the People's Republic of China.
With 2, ...
, Chair of the
All-China Federation of Trade Unions
The All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) is the national trade union center of the People's Republic of China. It is the largest trade union in the world with 302 million members in 1,713,000 primary trade union organizations. The ACFTU ...
*
Wang Qishan, Vice-Premier
*
Hui Liangyu
Hui Liangyu (,
Xiao'erjing: ; born October 1944) was a Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China in charge of agriculture.
Biography
Hui was born in Yushu, Jilin Province. He is a member of the Hui ethnic minority. Starting in 1969, h ...
, Vice-Premier
*
Liu Qi, Party chief of Beijing, head of
Beijing Olympics organizing committee
*
Liu Yunshan
Liu Yunshan (; ; born July 1947) is a retired Chinese politician. He was a member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, the top decision-making body of the CCP, between 2012 and 2017; he was broadly tasked with the wo ...
, Secretary of CCP Central Secretariat, Head of the
CCP Propaganda Department
*
Liu Yandong
Liu Yandong (; is a retired Chinese politician. She recently served as the Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China, and was a member of the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party from 2007 to 2017, a State Councilor between 2007 and ...
,
State Councilor
A state councillor () is a high-ranking position within the State Council, the executive organ of the Chinese government (comparable to a cabinet). It ranks immediately below the Vice-Premiers and above the ministers of various departments. Si ...
*
Li Changchun
Li Changchun (born February 1, 1944) is a retired Chinese politician and a former senior leader of the Chinese Communist Party. He served on the Politburo Standing Committee, the Communist Party's top leadership council, and as the top official ...
, Chairman of the
Central Guidance Commission for Building Spiritual Civilization
*
Li Keqiang, First
Vice-Premier
*
Li Yuanchao
Li Yuanchao (born 20 November 1950) is a retired Chinese politician. He was the Vice President of the People's Republic of China from 2013 to 2018 and the Honorary President of the Red Cross Society of China. He was a member of the Secretari ...
, Secretary in CCP Central Secretariat,
CCP Organization Department head
*
Wu Bangguo
Wu Bangguo (born 12 July 1941) is a retired high-ranking politician in the People's Republic of China. He was the Chairman and Chinese Communist Party Committee Secretary of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress from 2003 t ...
,
*
Wang Yang Wang Yang may refer to:
People
*Wang Yang (politician) (born 1955), Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
*Wang Yang (Liaoning politician) (born 1957), former provincial official from Liaoni ...
, Party chief of
Guangdong
Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...
*
Zhang Gaoli
Zhang Gaoli or Chang Kao-li ( zh, 张高丽; ; born 1 November 1946) is a retired Chinese politician. He served as the senior Vice Premier of the State Council between 2013 and 2018 and as a member of the Chinese Communist Party Politburo ...
, Party chief of
Tianjin
Tianjin (; ; Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Tientsin (), is a municipality and a coastal metropolis in Northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the nine national central cities in Mainland China, with a total popul ...
*
Zhang Dejiang
Zhang Dejiang (; born 4 November 1946) is a Chinese retired politician. He served as the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the 12th National People's Congress, roughly the equivalent of a speaker of parliament in other countries between ...
, Vice-Premier, Party chief of
Chongqing
Chongqing ( or ; ; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), Postal Romanization, alternately romanized as Chungking (), is a Direct-administered municipalities of China, municipality in Southwes ...
*
Zhou Yongkang
Zhou Yongkang (born 3 December 1942) is a former senior leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). He was a member of the 17th Politburo Standing Committee (PSC), China's highest decision-making body, and the Secretary of the Central Politic ...
, Secretary of the
Political and Legislative Affairs Committee
*
Hu Jintao
Hu Jintao (born 21 December 1942) is a Chinese politician who served as the 16–17th general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 2002 to 2012, the 6th president of the People's Republic of China (PRC) from 2003 to 2013, an ...
,
CCP General Secretary
The general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party () is the Party leader, head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the One-party state, sole ruling party of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). Since 1989, the CCP general secr ...
,
PRC President
The president of the People's Republic of China, commonly called the president of China, is the head of state and the second-highest political office of the People's Republic of China. The presidency is constitutionally a largely ceremonial off ...
,
Chairman of the Central Military Commission Chairman of the Central Military Commission may refer to:
*Chairman of the Central Military Commission (China)
*Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea
See also
*Secretary of the Central Military Commission of the ...
*
Yu Zhengsheng, Party chief of
Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...
*
He Guoqiang
He Guoqiang (; born October 1. 1943) is a retired senior leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Between 2007 and 2012, He was a member of the Politburo Standing Committee (PSC), China's highest ruling council, and the Secretary of the Cent ...
,
Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection
Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China is the head of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. The Secretary is a very important political position, serving as one of the top lea ...
*
Jia Qinglin
Jia Qinglin (; born 13 March 1940) is a retired senior leader of the People's Republic of China and of the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP). He was a member of the CCP's Politburo Standing Committee, the party's highest ruling organ, between ...
,
*
Xu Caihou
Xu Caihou (; June 1943 – March 15, 2015) was a Chinese general in the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), the country's top military council. As Vice-chairman of the CMC, he was one of th ...
, Vice-Chairman of Central Military Commission
*
Guo Boxiong, Vice-Chairman of Central Military Commission
*
Wen Jiabao
Wen Jiabao (born 15 September 1942) is a retired Chinese politician who served as the Premier of the State Council from 2003 to 2013. In his capacity as head of government, Wen was regarded as the leading figure behind China's economic policy ...
,
Premier of the State Council
The premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, commonly called the premier of China and sometimes also referred to as the prime minister, is the head of government of China and leader of the State Council. The premier is ...
*
Bo Xilai
Bo Xilai (; born 3 July 1949) is a Chinese former politician who was convicted on bribery and embezzlement charges. He came to prominence through his tenures as Mayor of Dalian and then the governor of Liaoning. From 2004 to November 2007, ...
, Party chief of
Chongqing
Chongqing ( or ; ; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), Postal Romanization, alternately romanized as Chungking (), is a Direct-administered municipalities of China, municipality in Southwes ...
, ''
Dismissed April 2012''
Other Politburo places
*Central Committee bureaucrat
Wang Gang is expected to become a figurehead on the NPC or CPPCC (and implicitly a Politburo member), although he has an outside chance of a PSC place.
*
Wang Zhaoguo
Wang Zhaoguo (; born 14 July 1941) is a retired Chinese politician who came to prominence during the era of Deng Xiaoping. An automobile factory technician by trade, Wang had a long and varied political career, known for having acquired a minist ...
is Wu Bangguo's deputy at the NPC and Hu's former boss in the CYL. He has recently been considered to have an outside chance of a PSC place, given his age.
Regional Positions
*Minister of Commerce
Bo Xilai
Bo Xilai (; born 3 July 1949) is a Chinese former politician who was convicted on bribery and embezzlement charges. He came to prominence through his tenures as Mayor of Dalian and then the governor of Liaoning. From 2004 to November 2007, ...
, after some reluctance following the Congress, took over as
Chongqing
Chongqing ( or ; ; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), Postal Romanization, alternately romanized as Chungking (), is a Direct-administered municipalities of China, municipality in Southwes ...
Party Chief.
*Hubei Party chief
Yu Zhengsheng took over Shanghai as the municipality's Communist Party secretary.
*Chongqing Party chief
Wang Yang Wang Yang may refer to:
People
*Wang Yang (politician) (born 1955), Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
*Wang Yang (Liaoning politician) (born 1957), former provincial official from Liaoni ...
took over as Guangdong Party chief.
*Beijing Mayor
Wang Qishan left his municipal post to become Vice-Premier.
Central Military Commission positions
*
Chen Bingde
Chen Bingde (; born July 1941) is a retired general ('' shangjiang'') in the People's Liberation Army (PLA). He was the Director-General of the General Armaments Department until September 2007. In this position he acted as the head of the space ...
may have already replaced
Liang Guanglie
Liang Guanglie (, also spelled as Liang Kuang-lieh; born December 1940 in Santai, Mianyang, Sichuan) is a retired general and former Minister for National Defense in the People's Republic of China.
Life and career
Liang joined the army in ...
as the PLA's
Chief of General Staff.
[China's General Chen Bingde appointed to key military post]
( AFP via the ''Straits Times
''The Straits Times'' is an English-language daily broadsheet newspaper based in Singapore and currently owned by SPH Media Trust (previously Singapore Press Holdings). ''The Sunday Times'' is its Sunday edition. The newspaper was establishe ...
'')
Ministerial positions
*Early speculation suggested a wide field for Vice-Premier responsible for the economy, namely
National Development and Reform Commission
The National Development and Reform Commission of the People's Republic of China (NDRC), formerly State Planning Commission and State Development Planning Commission, is a macroeconomic management agency under the State Council, which has br ...
(NDRC) chief
Ma Kai
Ma Kai (; pinyin: ''Mǎ Kǎi''; born June 1946 in Shanghai) was one of the four Vice Premiers of China (Fourth-ranked). He was formerly a State Councilor and Secretary General of the State Council of China.
Biography
Ma Kai was born in Jinsha ...
,
SASAC
The State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC) is a special commission of the People's Republic of China, directly under the State Council. It was founded in 2003 through the consolidation of vario ...
chief
Kelin Ding
Kelin was an ancient Iberian Peninsula, Iberian city located on the hill of Los Villares (Caudete de las Fuentes, Province of Valencia, Valencia). The site was inhabited from the Proto-Iberian period (7th century BC) to the Late Iberian period ( ...
,
PBoC
The People's Bank of China (officially PBC or informally PBOC; ) is the central bank of the People's Republic of China, responsible for carrying out monetary policy and regulation of financial institutions in mainland China, as determined by ...
chief
Zhou Xiaochuan
Zhou Xiaochuan () (born 29 January 1948) is a retired Chinese economist, banker, reformist and bureaucrat. Zhou served as the Governor of the People's Bank of China from 2002 to 2018. In 2001, his policies led to a stock crash, forcing him to re ...
,
MOFCOM
The Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China (MOFCOM) is a cabinet-level executive agency of the State Council of China. It is responsible for formulating policy on foreign trade, export and import regulations, foreign direct ...
chief
Bo Xilai
Bo Xilai (; born 3 July 1949) is a Chinese former politician who was convicted on bribery and embezzlement charges. He came to prominence through his tenures as Mayor of Dalian and then the governor of Liaoning. From 2004 to November 2007, ...
,
State Council State Council may refer to:
Government
* State Council of the Republic of Korea, the national cabinet of South Korea, headed by the President
* State Council of the People's Republic of China, the national cabinet and chief administrative auth ...
official
Lou Jiwei
Lou Jiwei (; born December 1950), is a Chinese politician, and current director of the 13th CPPCC Foreign Affairs Committee.
Lou was Chairman of China's National Council for Social Security Fund, Minister for Finance, Chairman of China Investme ...
,
Beijing Mayor Wang Qishan,
Tianjin
Tianjin (; ; Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Tientsin (), is a municipality and a coastal metropolis in Northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the nine national central cities in Mainland China, with a total popul ...
Mayor
Dai Xianglong
Dai Xianglong (; born 1 October 1944) is a Chinese politician. He is the former governor of the People's Bank of China, and the former mayor of Tianjin. He currently serves as the president and Chinese Communist Party (CCP) party chief of the N ...
,
Shanghai Mayor Han Zheng
Han Zheng (; born 22 April 1954) is a Chinese politician serving as the Senior Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China, Vice Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, State Council. He has also been leader of the Ce ...
and
Chongqing
Chongqing ( or ; ; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), Postal Romanization, alternately romanized as Chungking (), is a Direct-administered municipalities of China, municipality in Southwes ...
Party chief
Wang Yang Wang Yang may refer to:
People
*Wang Yang (politician) (born 1955), Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
*Wang Yang (Liaoning politician) (born 1957), former provincial official from Liaoni ...
.
*Former Shanxi Governor
Yu Youjun is tipped for
Minister of Culture
A culture minister or a heritage minister is a common cabinet position in governments. The culture minister is typically responsible for cultural policy, which often includes arts policy (direct and indirect support to artists and arts organizati ...
.
*State council positions will be confirmed at the
2008 National People's Congress.
See also
*
History of the People's Republic of China (2002–present)
The People's Republic of China (PRC) became more influential economically in the 1990s and 2000s and was beginning to be widely recognized as an emerging superpower. In 2010, China became the world's second largest economy by nominal GDP a ...
*
Li Lianyu
Li Lianyu (; born December 1959) is a former Chinese politician who spent most of his career in Jiangsu province. Through his career he successively served as the Communist Party Secretary of the county-level city of Pizhou, the Vice-Mayor of Xuz ...
, a local official who mobilized a mass welcoming ceremony for himself upon his return from the 17th Party Congress
References
External links
Shakeup in Beijing: Who's In, Who's OutChi-Chu Tschang (''
Business Week
''Bloomberg Businessweek'', previously known as ''BusinessWeek'', is an American weekly business magazine published fifty times a year. Since 2009, the magazine is owned by New York City-based Bloomberg L.P. The magazine debuted in New York City ...
'')
The 17th Party Congress and BeyondOfficial Website of the 17th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party
{{DEFAULTSORT:17th National Congress Of The Communist Party Of China
2007 elections in China
2007 in politics
National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party
2007 conferences