Cao Shumin (; born July 1966) is a Chinese politician, who is currently serving as the director of the

National Radio and Television Administration The National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA) is a ministry-level executive agency controlled by the Central Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Its main task is the administration and supervision of state-own ...

. She also served as the deputy head of the

Cyberspace Administration of China The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC; ) is the national internet regulator and censor of the People's Republic of China. The agency was initially established in 2011 by the State Council as the State Internet Information Office (SIIO) ...

, from 2021 to 2023. Cao was previously the mayor of

Yingtan Yingtan ( zh, s=鹰潭 , t=鷹潭 , p=Yīngtán, l=Eagle Pond) is a prefecture-level city in the east of Jiangxi province, People's Republic of China, bordering Fujian to the southeast. Its location near the trisection of Jiangxi, Fujian, and Zhe ...

city.

Early life and education

Born in 1966 in Shulu County in

Shijiazhuang Shijiazhuang; Mandarin: ; formerly known as Shimen and romanized as Shihkiachwang is the capital and most populous city of China's Hebei Province. A prefecture-level city southwest of Beijing, it administers eight districts, three county-le ...

, Hebei, Cao studied electromagnetic fields and microwave technology in the Department of Electronic Engineering at

Beihang University Beihang University (BUAA; formerly as Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics) is a public university in Haidian, Beijing, Haidian, Beijing, China. It is affiliated with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. The univers ...

and in September 1989, she pursued postgraduate studies in the same field and obtained a master's degree in engineering at the same institution in 1992. From November 2004 to November 2007, she studied joint management program at

Renmin University of China The Renmin University of China (RUC) is a public university in Haidian, Beijing, China. The university is affiliated with the Ministry of Education, and co-funded by the Ministry of Education and the Beijing Municipal People's Government. The ...

and

Hong Kong Polytechnic University The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU or HKPU) is a public research university in Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong. The university is one of the eight government-funded degree-granting tertiary institutions in Hong Kong. Founded in 1937 a ...

, and obtained a doctorate in management.

Career

From 1992, Cao served as an assistant engineer and engineer at the Telecommunications Transmission Research Institute of the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications. In 1995, she was appointed as the deputy director of the Wireless Department. Half a month later, she was promoted to the position of deputy director of the Telecommunications Transmission Research Institute, becoming the youngest deputy director in the history of the institute. In July 2001, she was appointed as the deputy director of the Second Business Division of the institute. In September 2002, she became the vice president of the institute. In 2008, she was elected as a member of the 11th National Committee of the

Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is a political advisory body in the People's Republic of China and a central part of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s United front (China), united front system. Its members adv ...

(CPPCC), representing the

China Association for Science and Technology The China Association for Science and Technology (CAST; ) is a people's organization of Chinese scientists and engineers, which is composed of multiple national professional societies and hundreds of branches at various local and international ...

and was assigned to the 23rd group. She also served as a member of the Committee of Education, Science, Culture, Health and Sports. Cao was appointed Vice President of the Telecommunications Research Institute in December 2008 and became its President in April 2011. She played a key role in China's telecommunications development, leading the TD-LTE Working Group and 4G Promotion Group. She was also involved in national technology projects and advisory committees. This made Cao instrumental in the establishment of China's 4G mobile network. In November 2012, she was elected as an alternate of the

18th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party The 18th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party was elected by the 18th National Congress on 15 November 2012, and sat in plenary sessions until the communing of the 19th National Congress in 2017. It was formally proceeded by the 17t ...

. In June 2014, she became President of the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology. In August 2016, Cao was transferred to

Jiangxi ; Gan: ) , translit_lang1_type2 = , translit_lang1_info2 = , translit_lang1_type3 = , translit_lang1_info3 = , image_map = Jiangxi in China (+all claims hatched).svg , mapsize = 275px , map_caption = Location ...

as part of a central-local exchange program. She was appointed as the deputy secretary of the CCP

Municipal Committee and was nominated by the authorities as a candidate for the mayor of Yingtan. She subsequently assumed the role of acting mayor of Yingtan and was formally elected as mayor in November of the same year. In January 2017, she succeeded Chen Xingchao as the Secretary of the CCP Yingtan Municipal Committee, and in October of the same year, she was elected as an alternate of the

19th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party The 19th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party was elected by the 19th National Congress in 2017, and sat until the next National Congress was convened in 2022. It formally succeeded the 18th Central Committee of the Chinese Commun ...

. During her tenure in Yingtan, the city hosted the 14th China Information Harbour Forum on April 13, 2017, where the discussions at the forum delved deeply into the missions and responsibilities confronting the information and communication industry, with a focus on advancing the vision of establishing a robust Internet presence. In January 2017,

General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party The general secretary of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party ( zh, s=中国共产党中央委员会总书记, p=Zhōngguó Gòngchǎndǎng Zhōngyāng Wěiyuánhuì Zǒngshūjì) is the leader of the Chinese Communist Part ...

Xi Jinping Xi Jinping, pronounced (born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who has been the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Chairman of the Central Military Commission (China), chairman of the Central Military Commission ...

met with Cao and praised her contribution to China's cyber space development. In December 2017, Cao returned to Beijing and was appointed as the Party Committee Secretary of

. In November 2018, she was elected as a part-time Vice Chairperson of the

All-China Women's Federation The All-China Women's Federation (ACWF) is a women's rights people's organization established in China on 24 March 1949. It was originally called the All-China Democratic Women's Foundation, and was renamed the All-China Women's Federation in 195 ...

. In December 2021, she transitioned to the role of deputy director of the Office of the

Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission The Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission is a policy formulation and implementation body set up under the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party for the purpose of managing cybersecurity and informatization, including internet censors ...

. During this time, she wrote an article in the state-run ''

People's Daily The ''People's Daily'' ( zh, s=人民日报, p=Rénmín Rìbào) is the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It provides direct information on the policies and viewpoints of the CCP in multiple lan ...

'' on the importance of ideological and political education, stating that

political indoctrination Indoctrination is the process of inculcating (teaching by repeated instruction) a person or people into an ideology, often avoiding critical analysis. It can refer to a general process of socialization. The term often implies forms of brainwashi ...

is a fundamental aspect of higher education and should be integrated into every stage of teaching and learning. In October 2022, she was elected as an alternate of the

20th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party The 20th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (20th CC), officially the Central Committee of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, comprises 205 members and 171 alternates. It was elected at the Chinese Communis ...

. In May 2023, she was promoted to deputy director of the

Publicity Department of the Chinese Communist Party The Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, also known as the Propaganda Department or Central Propaganda Department, is an internal division of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) ...

and at the same time also promoted to the director of the National Radio and Television Administration, succeeding Xu Lin who was appointed as the CCP secretary of

Guizhou ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = , image_map = Guizhou in China (+all claims hatched).svg , mapsize = 275px , map_alt = Map showing the location of Guizhou Province , map_caption = Map s ...

. This made her the youngest female senior official at the full ministerial level in China. Cao was also concurrently appointed as the vice minister of the Central Propaganda Department and party group secretary, achieving the rank of full ministerial-level. At a press conference organised by the State Council Information Office on October 19, 2023, Cao stated that "radio and TV, as prominent players in mainstream media, play a crucial role in deepening the understanding and dissemination of

Xi Jinping Thought Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, commonly abbreviated outside China as Xi Jinping Thought, is a political doctrine created during General Secretary Xi Jinping's leadership of the Chinese Communist ...

" and "their objective is to make the Party's innovative theories accessible to the general public by using engaging narratives and easy-to-comprehend language".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cao, Shumin 1966 births Living people People from Xinji Politicians from Shijiazhuang Beihang University alumni Academic staff of Beihang University Renmin University of China alumni Alumni of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University People's Republic of China politicians from Hebei Chinese Communist Party politicians from Hebei Chinese telecommunications engineers Engineers from Hebei Scientists from Hebei Delegates to the 16th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party Delegates to the 17th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party Delegates to the 19th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party Delegates to the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party Alternates of the 18th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party Alternates of the 19th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party Alternates of the 20th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party Members of the 11th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Political office-holders in Jiangxi 21st-century mayors of places in China 21st-century Chinese women politicians