Shanghai appoints new mayor, who talks of turning crisis into opportunity

Gong Zheng, 60, was confirmed by the city’s legislature on Tuesday after a four-month delay following his transfer from Shandong

He is said to have a clear focus on the hi-tech sector and faces the challenge of reviving the coronavirus-hit economy

Reading Time:2 minutes

Gong Zheng will face huge challenges as mayor of financial centre Shanghai. Photo: Weibo

Published: 7:00am, 22 Jul 2020Updated: 7:00am, 22 Jul 2020

Shanghai on Tuesday appointed Gong Zheng as the city’s new mayor, who faces the challenge of reviving the city’s coronavirus-hit economy.

The 60-year-old from Jiangsu was confirmed by the city’s legislature after a four-month delay following his transfer from the eastern province of Shandong, where he was governor.

In a speech, he told the legislature that it was important to turn the crisis into opportunity, an apparent reference to the economic slowdown brought by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Gong was sent to Shanghai in March to take up the role of mayor, a position vacated by Ying Yong when he was appointed Communist Party chief in the central province of Hubei in February amid the coronavirus outbreak there. Its capital, Wuhan, was the initial epicentre of the outbreak.

As mayor of financial centre Shanghai, Gong will again work with Li Qiang, the city’s party secretary. The pair worked together for seven years in Zhejiang two decades ago and both served under Xi Jinping when he was party secretary of the eastern province from 2002 to 2007.

Shanghai has been relatively successful in containing the coronavirus pandemic. Photo: Bloomberg

Select Voice

Choose your listening speed

Get through articles 2x faster

1.25x

250 WPM

Slow

Average

Fast

00:0000:00

1.25x