https://www.scmp.com/rss/33034/feed Born in 1946, Zhang Gaoli was an economist by training and rose up the ranks of state-owned oil firms in Guangdong in the 1980s. He became a deputy governor of Guangdong in 1988, and party chief in the economic powerhouse of Shenzhen in 1998. He then moved on to top government and Party positions in Shandong and Tianjin, before he was promoted to the Communist Party's top power organ, the 7-member Politburo Standing Committee, during the 18th Party Congress in November 2012. He is known for... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com US President Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs on Vietnamese products are expected to deal a heavy blow to the country’s economy, creating a possible opening for China ahead of President Xi Jinping’s visit to Hanoi. Vietnam is facing 46 per cent tariffs, making it – along with China – one of the countries worst hit by the levies Trump imposed on allies and rivals alike. Some observers have predicted that the move would fuel doubts about US reliability and even nudge Vietnam closer towards China... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3305261/could-trump-tariffs-open-window-opportunity-china-improve-ties-vietnam?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3305261/could-trump-tariffs-open-window-opportunity-china-improve-ties-vietnam?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 Apr 2025 22:00:14 +0000 For Chengdu, last week proved to be a busy one, and perhaps also cause for celebration by business. But for the rest of the China, it was rather disastrous in terms of how many lives of ordinary Chinese people were lost in various accidents. I was in Chengdu for the 12th Fortune Global Forum, an annual business conference held by the US magazine Fortune in different countries and cities. Government officials told me Chengdu had prepared for the launch of the forum for about three years and... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/1257265/chengdu-event-shows-quest-big-numbers-hard-shake?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/1257265/chengdu-event-shows-quest-big-numbers-hard-shake?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 09 Jun 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Capital inflows to China are being squeezed by corruption and pollution and Beijing is ready to tackle both head-on to ensure a steady flow of funds, Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli told a gathering of top executives from some of the world's biggest companies yesterday. "If we can get individual rights under legal protection, if we can maintain economic activities in a fair way, and also have people's supervision, I think corruption problems will be definitely solved," Zhang said at a welcome dinner in... https://www.scmp.com/business/economy/article/1255219/beijing-promises-blue-skies-and-no-red-envelopes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/economy/article/1255219/beijing-promises-blue-skies-and-no-red-envelopes?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Jun 2013 18:16:31 +0000 There has been such rapid development in Hong Kong law in recent years that one cannot assume that one is on top of the law University of Hong Kong law professor Simon Young Ngai-man   Berezovsky has been in a terrible state. He was in debt. He felt destroyed Lawyer Alexander Dobrovinsky comments on the death of tycoon Boris Berezovsky   Objectively speaking, there are potential risks in the financial area China's new executive vice-premier Zhang Gaoli https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1198989/who-said-it?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1198989/who-said-it?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 Mar 2013 16:00:00 +0000 China has promoted one of its most senior female leaders to Communist Party chief of the northern port city of Tianjin, which the government is trying to turn into a global financial centre, state media said on Wednesday. Sun Chunlan, 62, will move from the southeastern coastal province of Fujian, where she had been party boss since 2009, the official Xinhua news agency said in a brief statement. The appointment had been widely expected. Sun is one of only two women on the Politburo, a 25-member... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1087534/china-promotes-senior-woman-lead-financial-hub-tianjin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1087534/china-promotes-senior-woman-lead-financial-hub-tianjin?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Nov 2012 07:06:39 +0000 The reshuffle in Beijing provided a timely boost for one company yesterday - Xinyi Glass outshone the Hang Seng Index because of its perceived ties to a new member of China's most powerful body. Lee Shing Put, son of Xinyi Glass chairman Lee Yin Yee, happens to be the son-in-law of Zhang Gaoli one of the seven new members of the Politburo Standing Committee. Zhang's elevation to the topmost decision-making body had investors betting on the glass maker's bright prospects, pushing the stock as... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1084378/glass-firms-shares-rise-perceived-links-zhang-gaoli?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1084378/glass-firms-shares-rise-perceived-links-zhang-gaoli?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Nov 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Lee Shing Put, a son-in-law of the new Politburo Standing Committee member Zhang Gaoli, has his fingers in many pies. Lee now worked for Xinyi Glass Holdings, a Hong Kong-listed glass maker, said his father, Lee Yin Yee, the company's founding chairman. "I have no comment on Zhang Gaoli. Zhang Gaoli has nothing to do with our business," Lee Yin Yee said. The elder Lee confirmed his son is married to Zhang Gaoli's daughter Zhang Xiaoyan. Zhang Gaoli's elevation to the topmost decision-making body... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1084324/son-law-zhang-gaoli-director-17-hong-kong-firms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1084324/son-law-zhang-gaoli-director-17-hong-kong-firms?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Nov 2012 16:00:00 +0000 New man at the top Xi Jinping an enigma Who is Xi Jinping? Although he has finally risen to the supreme office in the world's most populous nation and second-largest economic power, Xi Jinping remains an enigmatic cipher - even to many of his fellow Communist Party apparatchiks. Since his succession was set five years ago, the state media has gone out of its way to paint Xi in a favourable light. He is often depicted as a mature, competent and popular statesman, one meticulously groomed over... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1083397/seven-men-who-rule-billion?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1083397/seven-men-who-rule-billion?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Nov 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Interactive Infographic: China's new leadership by Joe Lo    1 The rise of Xi Jinping, China's next leader Xi Jinping will be the next leader of China, but to many observers he remains something of a cipher. In a three-part-series, the Post attempts to solve the mysteries of President Hu Jintao's successor by examining his early postings in rural Hebei and the work in the affluent coastal provinces of Fujian and Zhejiang that were the foundation for his rise (Full profile by Shi Jiangtao in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1082901/whos-who-seven-party-heavyweights-named-chinas-politburo-core?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1082901/whos-who-seven-party-heavyweights-named-chinas-politburo-core?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Nov 2012 03:55:52 +0000 As jockeying for top seats in the Communist Party's leadership entered the final days, several officials tipped as rising stars played it safe yesterday, ducking questions about promotions - or anything else sensitive. Two heavily favoured candidates for seats on the powerful Politburo - Sun Zhengcai and Hu Chunhua , the party chiefs of Jilin and Inner Mongolia respectively - restricted their public comments to only the most basic provincial matters. Sun, 49, one of the youngest ministry-level... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1079028/rising-stars-clam-when-quizzed-reporters-future-prospects?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1079028/rising-stars-clam-when-quizzed-reporters-future-prospects?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Nov 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Next week as the party faithful wait for China's new leaders to shuffle on to the stage in the Great Hall of the People, hopes will be riding high that the latest line-up of bosses will press ahead with the economic reforms needed to sustain the country's economic growth. Unfortunately, the early signs are not promising. According to the latest indications, China's new economic czar will not be the familiar figure of Wang Qishan. Instead, the smart money is now betting that the less well known... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/1075766/zhang-gaolis-tianjin-economic-model-promises-disaster-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/1075766/zhang-gaolis-tianjin-economic-model-promises-disaster-china?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Nov 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Born in 1946, Zhang Gaoli was an economist by training and rose up the ranks of state-owned oil firms in Guangdong in the 1980s. He became a deputy governor of Guangdong in 1988, and party chief in the economic powerhouse of Shenzhen in 1998. He then moved on to top government and Party positions in Shandong and Tianjin, before he was promoted to the Communist Party's top power organ, the 7-member Politburo Standing Committee, during the 18th Party Congress in November 2012. He is known for... https://www.scmp.com/news/18th-party-congress/article/1053135/zhang-gaoli?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/18th-party-congress/article/1053135/zhang-gaoli?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Oct 2012 09:30:56 +0000 Tianjin party chief Zhang Gaoli prefers to work away from the spotlight but that may change as momentum builds for making him a member of the Politburo Standing Committee at the upcoming party congress. His preference to remain low-key was tested recently when Tianjin hosted the World Economic Forum, which saw global business leaders and domestic officials flock to the northern port city to hold discussions under the banner of "Creating the Future Economy". Zhang, 65, already a member of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1037203/tianjin%E2%80%99s-party-boss-zhang-gaoli-readies-limelight?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1037203/tianjin%E2%80%99s-party-boss-zhang-gaoli-readies-limelight?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Sep 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Tianjin party secretary Zhang Gaoli appeared relaxed and was open to questions from the foreign media during a press conference on the sidelines of the annual sessions of the NPC and CPPCC. However, his expression remained stern. Zhang, 65, moved to Tianjin in 2007 after spending three decades in Guangdong and seven years in Shandong. He has maintained a low profile throughout his career. In a panel discussion on March 10, Zhang kept jotting down notes while other deputies were reading their... https://www.scmp.com/article/995926/tianjin-party-chief-warms-explaining-low-profile?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/995926/tianjin-party-chief-warms-explaining-low-profile?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 Mar 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Two rising political stars pulled off livelier-than-expected press sessions on the sidelines of the National People's Congress at the weekend, offering a glimpse into the mindset of the next generation of leaders. Zhang Gaoli, the party secretary of Tianjin, and Zhou Qiang, party secretary of Hunan province, did not offer substantial insights into their policies, but they appeared candid and open in separate press conferences on Saturday. The two leaders, among others, have become the focus of... https://www.scmp.com/article/995187/rising-political-stars-impress-media-pack?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/995187/rising-political-stars-impress-media-pack?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 11 Mar 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Forty-one people were injured, six severely, when a scaffolding platform plummeted 27 floors to the ground at a Games construction site in Tianjin , local media reported yesterday. All the injured were taken to hospital from the site, where the port city's multimedia centre is under construction. The 1.5 billion yuan (HK$1.71 billion) Tianjin Digital Television Building will serve as the main press centre for events in the city. Tianjin party chief Zhang Gaoli had ordered an... https://www.scmp.com/article/644403/41-injured-scaffolding-gives-way-tianjin-site?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/644403/41-injured-scaffolding-gives-way-tianjin-site?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Jul 2008 16:00:00 +0000 The former party secretary of scandal-plagued Tianjin has died of an unspecified illness at the age of 68, Xinhua reported yesterday. Zhang Lichang , who was also a Politburo member until October, died in Tianjin on Thursday at 10.20pm, Xinhua said. A representative from the city government office declined to reveal the cause of Zhang's death. The representative nevertheless said a memorial might be held for the public to bid farewell to the former chief. But the Hong Kong-based Information... https://www.scmp.com/article/622631/former-party-boss-scandal-hit-tianjin-dies-undisclosed-illness?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/622631/former-party-boss-scandal-hit-tianjin-dies-undisclosed-illness?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Jan 2008 16:00:00 +0000 Zhang Gaoli has been tasked with transforming the moribund city of Tianjin into a rival of Shanghai with the help of a powerful political ally and his experience in the country's developed south. He is a newcomer to Tianjin, having been named the city's Communist Party secretary only in March. Mr Zhang, 60, who is from Fujian province , spent much of his political career in Guangdong. He is an economist, educated at Xiamen University. The leadership shuffle in Tianjin followed a corruption... https://www.scmp.com/article/612589/zhang-gaoli-guangdong-know-how-goes-north?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/612589/zhang-gaoli-guangdong-know-how-goes-north?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Oct 2007 16:00:00 +0000 A second corruption scandal has hit the northern port city Tianjin this month, with the city's Higher Court president reportedly under investigation by central government graft busters. Zhang Baifeng, 64, is being investigated by officials from the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) - the Communist Party's top anti-corruption body - for alleged bribery and mistress-related scandals, the Hong Kong-based Information Centre for Human Rights & Democracy said yesterday. But he... https://www.scmp.com/article/596617/new-graft-scandal-tianjin-centred-court-president?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/596617/new-graft-scandal-tianjin-centred-court-president?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Jun 2007 16:00:00 +0000 China's local party leadership reshuffle continued yesterday with two more provincial party chiefs installed in a further sign that President Hu Jintao is consolidating his grip on power ahead of October's 17th party congress. In the latest round of personnel changes, Li Jianguo was officially named party secretary of the eastern province of Shandong and Qiang Wei was appointed party secretary of the northwestern province of Qinghai, according to a statement from the party's central committee... https://www.scmp.com/article/586643/more-reshuffles-provinces?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/586643/more-reshuffles-provinces?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Mar 2007 16:00:00 +0000 Guangdong leaders have called for unity in the new Shenzhen leadership and urged them to create glory for the Special Economic Zone. 'The provincial Government trusts that Ms Huang Liman and Mr Yu Youjun will be united and lead the party and masses in Shenzhen to a new level of accomplishment,' said Liu Fengyi, deputy party secretary of Guangdong at a meeting attended by Guangdong party boss Li Changchun and Governor Lu Ruihua, the Shenzhen Economic Daily reported. The meeting publicised... https://www.scmp.com/article/365842/cadres-appeal-unity-shenzhen-leadership?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/365842/cadres-appeal-unity-shenzhen-leadership?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Dec 2001 16:00:00 +0000 Shenzhen has officially announced the arrest of former vice-mayor Wang Ju who allegedly accepted bribes to approve land contracts. The announcement was made at a recent meeting when Shenzhen Party Secretary Zhang Gaoli reviewed the city's anti-corruption work carried out last year. It has been widely reported by the overseas press that Wang was arrested for alleged corruption, but Shenzhen officials have been reluctant until now to reveal details of his any offences. The official Xinhua said... https://www.scmp.com/article/337046/arrest-over-land-scam-confirmed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/337046/arrest-over-land-scam-confirmed?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Jan 2001 16:00:00 +0000 Shenzhen's public security chief pledged not to give up searching for autistic boy Yu Man-hon, missing on the mainland for more than four months. Tung Chee-hwa met Shenzhen party chief Zhang Gaoli at Government House last night. https://www.scmp.com/article/336065/pledge-missing-child?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/336065/pledge-missing-child?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Jan 2001 16:00:00 +0000 Shenzhen businesses have been ordered to try every possible means to achieve economic growth of 14 per cent this year. Trade officials and business leaders were summoned to a meeting on Tuesday where party secretary Zhang Gaoli told them to give top priority to meeting the target. Exports must expand by 10 per cent this year and government departments must spare no resources to help companies to reach these targets, Mr Zhang said. Big and established enterprises in Shenzhen were expected... https://www.scmp.com/article/251500/shenzhen-aiming-14pc-growth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/251500/shenzhen-aiming-14pc-growth?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Aug 1998 16:00:00 +0000 As Beijing's preferred candidates take over key positions in the Guangdong provincial government, Shenzhen officials reacted to the tightened leash with a hearty welcome . . . with coded reservations. Asked to comment on the replacement of Shenzhen party secretary Li Youwei by Guangdong Vice-Governor Zhang Gaoli, Shenzhen Mayor Li Zibin said age was the primary reason. He added: 'Li Youwei is 60 years old so it is fitting that central authorities have sent Zhang Gaoli. At a mere 51 years, he... https://www.scmp.com/article/226703/beijing-team-saluted-reservations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/226703/beijing-team-saluted-reservations?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Jan 1998 16:00:00 +0000 GUANGDONG is to unveil a development strategy for the crucial Zhujiang Delta region, which incorporates the richest areas in the province. Vice-Governor Zhang Gaoli, who heads a task force on planning, said a blueprint for development would be finished by May. Ms Zhang disclosed that the provincial government would give this area 'necessary support' in investment, taxation and fiscal policy. While the population of the delta region is 31 per cent of that of Guangdong, it accounts for 70 per... https://www.scmp.com/article/101730/blueprint-delta-region?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/101730/blueprint-delta-region?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Jan 1995 16:00:00 +0000 BOOMING Guangdong province continues to develop its own car industry, looking at an eventual capacity of one million vehicles a year to satisfy the strong local demand. Although international experts had suggested Guangdong should start out with making car parts, the provincial leadership seems convinced the local market is too lucrative to be handed over to foreign car makers. Vice-Governor Zhang Gaoli revealed that discussions with five overseas car makers were under way to set up a... https://www.scmp.com/article/43082/gearing-car-plant?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/43082/gearing-car-plant?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Sep 1993 16:00:00 +0000 A SENIOR Guangdong official yesterday warned that the province faced a challenging year in the face of growing protectionism and the possibility of China's re-admittance to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. Planning Commission Director and Vice-Governor Zhang Gaoli said his report on economic and social development planning in Guangdong showed that as China opened its doors wider, Guangdong's advantages of policy, technology and products available were gradually eroding. Mr... https://www.scmp.com/article/17066/south-feels-pressure-country-opens?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/17066/south-feels-pressure-country-opens?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Feb 1993 16:00:00 +0000