Top Chinese legislator to visit here

September 10, 2012 | Filed under: Opinion | Posted by: newsroom
Source: Xinhua,Wikipedia

One of China’s most powerful political leaders left Beijing yesterday on a four-nation tour that includes Fiji.

Top legislator Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, is making official goodwill visits to Iran, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Fiji.

Wu holds the second rank in the ruling Chinese Communist Party, next only to President Hu Jintao.

He will visit Fiji at the invitation of Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama.

Excerpts on his background from Wikipedia say:
*Wu Bangguo* (born July 1941) is a high-ranking politician in the People’s Republic of China.

He is currently chairman and Party secretary of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress a position that makes him China’s chief legislator.

He is also ranked second in official rankings of state and party leaders according to his qualifications in the Party.

A native of Anhui Wu is an electrical engineer by profession, and rose to national fame through regional work as the party chief of Shanghai and as Vice-Premier.

Early life
Wu was born at Feidong County in Anhui. He entered Tsinghua University in 1960, majoring in electron tube engineering at the Department of Radio Electronics, where he graduated in 1967.

He subsequently was employed as a worker and technician at Shanghai’s No. 3 Electronic Tube Factory, and then deputy chief and chief of the technical section from 1976 to 1978.

He would eventually go on to lead the factory as its party secretary.

In 1978 he was assigned to become the deputy manager of Shanghai Electronic Elements Company, and between 1979 and 1981 the deputy manager of Shanghai Electron Tube Company.

Between 1981 and 1983 he worked as the deputy secretary of Shanghai Meters, Instruments and Telecommunications Bureau.

Political life
Wu’s work in electronics companies earned him a tenure in the city’s upper echelons of power.

He became part of the Standing Committee of the Shanghai party committee in 1983, effectively becoming part of Shanghai’s political inner circle, and was put in charge of work related to science and technology.

Between 1985 and 1991, Wu was elevated to deputy secretary of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee, and subsequently as CPC party chief of Shanghai, the city’s first-in-charge.

As Shanghai’s political and economic stature grew due to economic reforms, Wu gained a seat on the Politburo of the Communist Party of China, China’s ruling council, in 1992.

He was subsequently elevated to vice-premier of the State Council where he served in a portfolio dealing with industry and reforming state-owned enterprises  ranking third.

He continued as vice-premier under Zhu Rongji and served in the role until the 2003 National People’s Congress.

At the 16th Party Congress in November 2002, Wu entered the highest power elite in the country, ranking second in the Politburo Standing Committee.

Since 2003, he has served as the chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China, a position which is roughly equivalent to that of a Speaker of a legislative assembly.

At the 11th National People’s Congress he was re-elected as chairman of the NPC Standing Committee.

In his capacity as NPCSC chair, Wu delivers an annual address each year at the National People’s Congress sessions.