Wang Zhaoguo (Chinese:王兆国;pinyin:Wáng Zhàoguó; born 14 July 1941) is a Chinese retired politician who came to prominence during the era ofDeng Xiaoping.
An automobile factory technician by trade, Wang had a long and varied political career, known for having acquired a ministerial-level position at the age of 41. Before entering thePolitburo of the Chinese Communist Party in 2002, he successively served as the first secretary of theCommunist Youth League of China, thedirector of the Party General Office, a secretary of theCentral Secretariat, thegovernor of Fujian, thehead of the United Front Work Department andvice chairman of the CPPCC.
Initially speculated to be a political star and once regarded as the successor of the office ofParty General Secretary, Wang's career leveled out after he entered the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party in 2002. In his later years, he served as the head of theAll-China Federation of Trade Unions and as avice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress. He retired in 2013.
Wang Zhaoguo was born inFengrun County,Hebei on 14 July 1941 to a poor family.[1] He went to school later than his peers due to his family situation.[2] He joined theChinese Communist Party (CCP) in 1965. He graduated fromHarbin Institute of Technology in 1966, specializing in mechanical engineering. Between 1966 and 1968, at the height of the Cultural Revolution, Wang awaited assignment. Between 1968 and 1971, he worked as a technician at theFirst Automobile Works inChangchun. He then began working as the Communist Youth League leader at a factory owned by the Second Automobile Works (the predecessor toDongfeng Motor).[3]
By 1979, the 38-year-old Wang had become the party chief of the Second Automobile Works. After the Cultural Revolution,Deng Xiaoping and a new group leaders introduced wide-ranging reforms. Deng was said to have been briefed on Wang's outstanding performance and sought to promote Wang. Wang entered theCentral Committee of the Chinese Communist Party at a mere 41 years of age, and was selected to become the First Secretary of theCommunist Youth League from 1982 to 1984. At this point,Hu Jintao was working as Wang's first deputy.[2]
By 1984, Wang had become thedirector of the General Office of the Chinese Communist Party, essentially serving as the chief of staff of then party General SecretaryHu Yaobang; the next year, Wang earned a seat on theSecretariat, the party's top policy execution and implementation organ. That he advanced tonational leadership at 44 years of age was seen as a promising sign that he was being groomed for the party's top leadership post. Wang was therefore seen as a close associate of Hu, given that both men had come from Communist Youth League backgrounds. Hu, a reformer, was ousted from power by a group of conservative party elders in 1987 due to irreconcilable differences over policy.[4]
Wang had advocated for policies favouring the party "clean up its own act" and "self-discipline" as part of wider political reform programs spearheaded by Hu, and said that these changes must begin with the party's upper echelons. This move was met with resistance from party elders, who saw themselves as being unfairly targeted and politically vulnerable; Wang was subsequently removed as General Office chief. Wang was succeeded byWen Jiabao, the deputy chief of the General Office at the time.[2]
It is believed that Wang's exit from the elite ranks was delicately intertwined with Hu Yaobang's downfall, as his Youth League political forces were deliberately scattered around the country to weed out their influence. As the political winds in Beijing shifted towards more a conservative tone towards the late 1980s, Wang's political fortunes suffered.[2]
Wang was named thegovernor of Fujian in 1987 after Hu Yaobang's resignation, in what was widely considered a demotion and 'banishment' from the political center stage in Beijing.[5] The move was speculated to be suggested by respected party elderChen Yun and approved by Deng Xiaoping.[4] Possibly as a result of his term in Fujian, which sat just across the strait from Taiwan, Wang was named the director of theTaiwan Affairs Office in 1990 (he assumed the State Council office chief position first, then the party position in 1991).
In 1992, he was also named thehead of the United Front Work Department of the Central Committee, in charge of rallying support from organizations not affiliated with the Communist Party. He was also electedVice Chairperson of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in March 1993, rejoiningParty and State Leadership, and reelected in 1998. During his tenure, he notably oversaw the1992 Consensus, where both the People's Republic of China and theRepublic of China (ROC) recognize there is only one "China". He also oversaw the selection of the 11thPanchen Lama. He served in the post for some ten years.
At the16th Party Congress, his erstwhile colleague and deputy at the Youth League, Hu Jintao, was elevated to becomegeneral secretary of the Chinese Communist Party. Wang gained a seat on the 25-member Politburo, but his career had by this point lagged far behind that of Hu and Wen Jiabao, his former deputies.
In March 2003, he was named the first-rankingvice chairman of the Standing Committee of the10th National People's Congress, and was re-elected to the same position in 11th National People's Congress in 2008.[6] He was a member of the16th and17th Politburos of the Chinese Communist Party. In addition, he also served as the Chairman of theAll-China Federation of Trade Unions between December 2002 and February 2013.
Wang was a member of the 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, and 17th Central Committees of the Chinese Communist Party, known for serving under four party general secretaries -Hu Yaobang,Zhao Ziyang,Jiang Zemin, and Hu Jintao. Wang retired from Politburo after the 18th Party Congress in November 2012, an event which sawXi Jinping became General Secretary, and Wang officially retired from politics in March 2013 after he stepped down as vice chairperson of the NPC Standing Committee.
Wang made several public appearances after he retired. He visited his former employer Dongfeng Motors from May 17 to 18, 2013. He appeared with his wife on April 22, 2014, at theZhou Enlai memorial house inHuai'an, Jiangsu. Wang also sent a commemorative floral basket along with Hu Jintao to mark the 25th anniversary of the death of Hu Yaobang in April 2014.[7]
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | First Secretary of the Communist Youth League of China 1982–1984 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Head of the United Front Work Department 1992–2002 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Director of the General Office of the Chinese Communist Party 1984–1986 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Hu Ping | Governor of Fujian 1987–1990 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chairman of theAll-China Federation of Trade Unions 2002–2013 | Succeeded by |
