Xinhua director Jiang Enzhu was frank when he described his bid for a seat on the National People's Congress. He said it was something he had never done before.
True, this career diplomat has never been an aspiring politician seeking power and glory. Real elections are a fresh experience for him, as is his foray into Chinese politics.
Mr Jiang would probably never have envisaged the need to compete for a post in the Chinese political structure - going from the executive branch to the legislature.
As Communist Party cadres always say, they leave it to the party's central organs to decide their positions.
On Thursday, Mr Jiang was among the early hopefuls getting a nomination form for the forthcoming selection of Hong Kong's 36 deputies.
He secured the required minimum - 10 nominations - from the so-called election conference consisting of 424 local Chinese. His fate will be decided by ballot on December 8.
Few doubt Mr Jiang will win.