Prior to the opening of the Chinese Communist Party’s 16th National Congress this year, the remaining provinces and autonomous regions also will hold their local elections – considered big political events in China that attract wide public attention. The new leadership at the provincial level so far is as following:

Tibet

The Sixth Communist Party of China Congress of the Tibetan Autonomous Region was held on September 10, 2001 and produced the sixth Party committee of the region. At the first committee meeting on September 15, Guo Jinlong was elected secretary of the sixth regional Party committee; Radi, Legqoi and Yang Chuantang as executive vice secretaries; and Pasang, Li Liguo, Phuchong and Xu Mingyang as vice secretaries by secret ballot.

The Standing Committee of the new Party committee consists of 15 members whose average age is 54. Of these members, 46.7 percent are Tibetans, 80 percent have received at least two to three years of college education. Two of the 15 members are women.

The new regional commission for discipline inspection was also elected on September 15, with Phuchong also serving as its secretary.

Guangxi

The election of the eighth CPC Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Regional Committee was held on October 25, 2001, with Cao Bochun, 60, who moved from northeast China’s Liaoning Province to Guangxi, continuing his office as regional Party secretary. Li Zhaozhuo, Ma Qingsheng, Lu Bing, Liu Qibao, Wang Wanbin and Ma Tieshan were elected as vice Party secretaries. Their average age is 54. Wang Wanbin, 52, moved to Guangxi from his previous post as vice minister of the State Economic and Trade Commission, while 55-year-old Ma Tieshan was a member of the Standing Committee of the Shaanxi Provincial Party Committee before he was assigned to the leadership in Guangxi. He also serves the post as secretary of Guangxi commission for discipline inspection.

The Standing Committee of the new regional Party committee consists of 14 members whose average age is 53. Six of them have bachelor’s degrees and two of them master’s degrees. The only woman member, Chen Xiurong, transferred to Guangxi from her former post as deputy director of the Organization Department of Fujian Provincial Party Committee.

Henan

The seventh CPC Congress of Henan Province was held in Zhengzhou on October 25-29, 2001. The meeting, after considerable deliberations, elected a new provincial Party committee comprised of 59 members and 11 alternate members. At the first meeting of the new Party committee on October 30, Chen Kuiyuan was elected as the provincial Party chief while Li Keqiang, Li Chengyu, Zhi Shuping, Wang Quanshu and Li Qinglin as vice Party secretaries.

The Standing Committee of the new Party committee is composed of 14 members, averaging 52.7 years old, the youngest being 45 years old. All have had at least three-years of college, eight with bachelor’s degrees, three with master’s degrees and two with doctor’s degrees.

Liaoning

The first session of the ninth Liaoning Provincial Party Committee on October 28, 2001 produced a new provincial Party committee with Wen Shizheng as secretary, Bo Xilai and another four as vice secretaries including a woman, Sun Chunlan. All of these officials were incumbents.

Anhui

The first session of the Seventh CPC Anhui Provincial Committee held last October re-elected Wang Taihua as the Party secretary. Xu Zhonglin, Fang Zhaoxiang, Wang Shaoyao, Shen Yaoyao (a woman) and Yang Duoliang (from the Hui ethnic group) were elected as vice Party secretaries.

The Standing Committee of the new Party committee includes 13 members whose average age is 54.8 years. Twelve have received at least two to three years of college education.

Of the five vice secretaries, four were returned to office while one, Yang Liangduo, was promoted to concurrently serve as secretary of the provincial commission for discipline inspection.

Shanxi

The eighth CPC congress of Shanxi Province was held in October 2001. A 13-member Standing Committee of the new provincial Party committee was elected with Tian Chengping selected to the post of Party secretary.

The previous Standing Committee of 11 members had an average age of 54.27 years. The new committee has an average age of 52.46, including one person under 45, two between 46-50, and six between 51-55. They also have higher educations, eight with bachelor’s degree, two with master’s degree and five with postgraduate diplomas. They include a woman and a man of a minority ethnic group. Nine members were returned to office, and four were promoted from other positions.

The new Vice Party Secretary Zhang Baoshun is a former vice president of Xinhua News Agency. Vice Shanxi Governor Wang Xianzheng who was elected into the Standing Committee is former deputy director of State Administration of Coal Safety Supervision. Secretary of the Taiyuan Municipal Party Committee Yun Gongmin who was elected into the Standing Committee was vice-chairman of the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Regional Government. Secretary of the provincial commission for discipline inspection Jin Yinhuan (a woman) was promoted to the post of vice Party secretary.

Xinjiang

The first session of the Sixth CPC Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Party Committee held on October 30, 2001, returned Wang Lequan to office as Party secretary and elected Ablet Abdurexet, a Uygur; Zhou Shengtao; Asqat Kerembay, a Kazak; Ismayil Tiliwaldi, a Uygur; Hu Jiayan, a woman, and Wang Jinxiang as vice Party secretaries. Hu Jiayan was also elected secretary of the regional commission for disciplinary inspection at the meeting of the commission.

The new regional Party committee includes 57 members, with 10 alternates. Among these, 28 are from minority ethnic groups, accounting for 41.79 percent; eight are women, making up 11.94 percent; 35 have received a university education, accounting for 52.24 percent. Their average age is 50.63, with three under 40.

Hunan

The first plenary session of the Eighth Hunan Provincial Party Committee was held on November 10, 2001 and elected Yang Zhengwu as provincial Party secretary, and Zhang Yunchuan, Hu Biao, Wen Xuande, Zhou Bohua and Sun Zaifu as vice secretaries. Qi Heping, Zhang Deren, Xie Kangsheng, Huang Jianguo, Shi Yuzhen, Zhou Benshun were elected as members of the Standing committee.

The average age of new Hunan provincial Party leadership is 53.62, two years younger than their predecessors. Among them, one is under 45, two between 46 to 50, seven between 51 to 55 and three between 56 to 60. They also have relatively higher academic backgrounds. All thirteen members of the Standing Committee have received at least two to three years of college education. Six hold bachelor’s degrees; two received postgraduate education. Sun Zanfu, secretary of the provincial commission for disciplinary inspection, was promoted to the position of a vice Party secretary.

Jiangsu

The tenth Jiangsu provincial Party congress was held on November 12, 2001 and elected the provincial Party secretary: Hui Liangyu, and vice secretaries: Ji Yunshi, Li Yuanchao, Wang Shouting, Liang Baohua and Ren Yanshen.

Among the new 63-member provincial Party committee, nine are women, and two are from minority ethnic groups, accounting for 12 percent and 2.7 percent respectively. Their average age is 50.5 years, with 36 members under 50. Compared with their predecessors, eleven percent more of the new committee members received at least two to three years of college education.

Ten of the 14-member Standing Committee were returned to office. Four newly elected members include Zhang Lianzhen, vice-governor of the province; Chen Deming, secretary of the Suzhou municipal Party committee; Jiang Dingzhi, secretary of Wuxi municipal Party committee; and Wang Guosheng, secretary of the Lianyungang municipal Party committee.

Fujian

The first plenary session of the Seventh Fujian Provincial Party Committee was held on December 4, 2001 and elected the provincial Party Secretary Song Defu and Vice Secretaries Xi Jinping, Lu Zhangong, Liang Qiping (a woman) and Huang Ruilin.

Song Defu, 55, born in Yanshan County of Hebei Province, received three years of college education. He served as first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League of China and minister of personnel before he was assigned to serve the post as secretary of Fujian provincial Party committee in December 2001.

Hebei

The first session of the Sixth Hebei Provincial Party Committee was held on December 5, 2001 and elected Wang Xudong as secretary and Niu Maosheng, a Manchu; Zhao Shiju; Liu Dewang; Zhang Yi and Feng Wenhai as vice secretaries.

Wang Xudong, 55, was assigned to serve as Hebei provincial Party secretary from his post as vice minister of the CPC Organization Department in June 2000.

The newly-elected Standing Committee of the provincial Party committee includes 13 members of whom nine were returned to office and four were newly elected. Their average age is 54, with four under 50.

Inner Mongolia

The first plenary session of the Seventh Inner Mongolian Autonomous Regional Party Committee was held on December 5, 2001. Chu Bo who was assigned to serve as secretary of the regional Party committee from his previous post as governor of Hunan Province was retained in his office. Uyunqimq (a woman, Mongol), Yue Fuhong, Chen Guanglin, Yang Limin, Baator (a Mongol) were elected vice secretaries. Baator was also elected to be secretary of the regional commission for disciplinary inspection. The new regional Party leadership consists of 14 members include four Mongols and women. All members have received at least two to three years of college education. Their average age is 52.7 years with six under 55.

Jiangxi Province

The first plenary session of the Eleventh Jiangxi Provincial Party Committee on December 16, 2001 elected Meng Jianzhu as provincial Party secretary and Huang Zhiquan, Bu Zhengfa, Wang Jun, Fu Kecheng as vice secretaries. Fu was concurrently elected as secretary of the provincial commission of disciplinary inspection.

The new provincial Party leadership is characterized by higher academic backgrounds with one having a three-year college education, five with bachelor’s degrees and seven having received postgraduate education. The members are from various places such as Shanghai, Beijing, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Liaoning and Guangdong, therefore bringing fresh ideas and concepts. Finally, some young cadres -- including a woman -- with outstanding performances in prefecture-level cities were promoted into provincial leadership. The youngest was in his forties.

Yunnan

The first plenary session of the Seventh Yunnan Provincial Party Committee on December 16, 2001 elected Bai Enpei as secretary, and Xu Rongkai, Yang Chonghui, Wang Xueren, Chen Peizhong as vice secretaries. Chen Peizhong was also elected to the post as secretary of the provincial commission for disciplinary inspection.

The new provincial Party leadership includes 13 members of whom two were newly promoted. The new leadership also involves three people from minority ethnic groups and one woman. They are 54 years old on average. Among them, four have bachelor’s degrees, one has a master’s degree, one a doctor’s degree, and three have postgraduate diplomas.

(Outlook Weekly No. 1, 2002, translated by Chen Qiuping and Alex Xu for china.org.cn)