Wang Qishan elected Chinese vice president

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Wang Qishan was elected vice president of China on Saturday at a plenary meeting of the first session of the 13th National People's Congress.

Wang Qishan

Born in 1948, Wang, who is from north China's Shanxi Province, graduated from the History Department of China’s Northwest University in 1976. The senior economist joined the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 1983.

Wang was a deputy governor of the People’s Bank of China, the country’s central bank, between 1993 and 1994, then governor of the People's Construction Bank of China and secretary of its Leading Party Members' Group from 1994 to 1996. He was governor of the China Construction Bank and secretary of its Leading Party Members' Group from 1996 to 1997.

In 1998, he became executive deputy governor of south China's Guangdong Province to straighten widespread financial disorder in the area.

From 2000 to 2002, Wang was director of the Office for Economic Restructuring under the State Council and secretary of its Leading Party Members' Group.

He became secretary of the CPC Hainan Provincial Committee and chairman of the Standing Committee of Hainan Provincial People's Congress in 2002.

Xi Jinping shakes hands with Wang Qishan at the first session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 17, 2018. /CGTN Screenshot

Wang was transferred to Beijing in April 2003 to replace Mayor Meng Xuenong at a time when an outbreak of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) had claimed more than 100 lives across the country, with many cases in the city.

As Beijing mayor until 2007, he was also the executive chairman of the organizing committee of the 2008 Olympic Games.

Starting from 2008, Wang served as vice premier of China's State Council in charge of finance and trade and also the director of the organizing committee of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo.

In 2012, he became a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the 18th CPC Central Committee, as well as secretary of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI).

Wang was elected as a deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC) from central China's Hunan Province in 2017.

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency