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Zhou Qiang | |
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| 周强 | |
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| Vice Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference | |
| Assumed office 10 March 2023 | |
| Chairman | Wang Huning |
| President of the Supreme People's Court | |
| In office 15 March 2013 – 11 March 2023 | |
| Deputy | Shen Deyong |
| Preceded by | Wang Shengjun |
| Succeeded by | Zhang Jun |
| Party Secretary of Hunan | |
| In office 25 April 2010 – 20 March 2013 | |
| Deputy | Xu Shousheng (governor) |
| Preceded by | Zhang Chunxian |
| Succeeded by | Xu Shousheng |
| First Secretary of the Communist Youth League of China | |
| In office 25 June 1998 – 6 November 2006 | |
| Preceded by | Li Keqiang |
| Succeeded by | Hu Chunhua |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1960-04-25)25 April 1960 (age 65) |
| Political party | Chinese Communist Party (1983–present) |
| Relations | Zhou Jun {MEE} (child) |
| Alma mater | Southwest University of Political Science & Law |
| Zhou Qiang | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simplified Chinese | 周强 | ||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 周強 | ||||||||
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Zhou Qiang (Chinese:周强;pinyin:Zhōu Qiáng; born 25 April 1960) is a Chinese politician who is avice chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.
Previously, he served as thesecretary of theChinese Communist Party'sHunan committee, the effective head of the province of Hunan.[1] He served as the province'sgovernor between 2007 and 2010. Zhou also served as theFirst Secretary of the Communist Youth League of China between 1998 and 2006. Between 2018 and 2023, he served as thepresident of the Supreme People's Court.
Born inHuangmei County,Hubei Province, Zhou grew up during theCultural Revolution. In 1978, he was part of the first batch of students admitted through theNational College Entrance Examinations to theSouthwest University of Political Science & Law. Zhou obtained a master's degree in law in 1986. He joined the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) during his studies, in 1983.
In November 1995, he was elected secretary of the central secretariat of theChinese Communist Youth League (CYL) at the 4th plenary session of the 13th CYL central committee. In June 1998, he was elevated tofirst secretary of the CYL central secretariat, and was re-elected in July 2003.
In February 2007, Zhou was appointed governor of Hunan, after a five-month period that saw him made a standing committee member and vice secretary of the CCP Hunan committee (September 3), and then acting governor ofHunan (September 30), appointed by the standing committee of the 10th Hunan People's Congress; he resigned as first secretary of the central secretariat of the CYL in December. He was re-elected governor of Hunan on January 24, 2008.
On April 25, 2010, Zhou, then aged 50, was appointedParty Secretary of Hunan, becoming one of the youngest provincial party chiefs in the country.[2] His rise to power is comparable to that of then-Party general secretaryHu Jintao and then-Vice-PremierLi Keqiang; all three menhad background in theCommunist Youth League of China.
In March 2013, theNPC installed Zhou as thepresident of the Supreme People's Court.
Like other top Chinese leaders, Zhou spoke often of promoting the 'rule of law' and was thought to be aligned with CCP general secretaryXi Jinping's stated ambition to make the court system in China fairer.[3] Indeed, in his first few years in office, Zhou overturned several court decisions as unjust, including the wrongful execution ofNie Shubin in 1995; granted judges more independence; and restricted local officials' influence over court rulings, although ultimately courts at all levels had to answer to the party leadership.[4]
But in 2017, speaking at a Supreme People's Court meeting on January 14, Zhou warned the courts against the 'idea ofjudicial independence'. He said:
[China's courts] must firmly resist the western idea of "constitutional democracy", "separation of powers" and "judicial independence". These are erroneous western notions that threaten the leadership of the ruling Communist Party and defame the Chinese socialist path on the rule of law. We have to raise our flag and show our sword to struggle against such thoughts. We must not fall into the trap of western thoughts and judicial independence. We must stay firm on the Chinese socialist path on the rule of law.[4]
This tougher line was interpreted as self-protection amid a CCP power struggle ahead of the19th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party.[4]
Zhou was a member of the16th,17th,18th and19th Central Committees of the CCP.
| Legal offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | President of the Supreme People's Court 2013–present | Incumbent |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | First Secretary of the Communist Youth League of China 1998–2006 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Party Secretary of Hunan 2010–2013 | Succeeded by |
| Government offices | ||
| Preceded by | Governor of Hunan 2006–2010 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
