Big Tech in CPPCC: Baidu’s Robin Li, NetEase’s Ding Lei no longer delegates of China’s top political advisory body
- The founders of Baidu, NetEase and Sogou are no longer in the delegate list of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference
- The annual meetings of the CPPCC and the National People’s Congress, known as the ‘two sessions’, make up China’s most important political event of the year
Several of China’s biggest names in technology have stepped down from their delegate roles in China’s top political advisory body, which announced its latest list of members on Wednesday.
CPPCC delegate candidates are nominated by legally recognised minor political parties, associations and industry leaders; reviewed by authorities designated by the Chinese Communist Party; and voted on by the CPPCC’s standing committee, according to the body’s website.
Delegates are elected on five-year terms, and there is no age or term limit, according to the official rules. Li, 54, completes his two terms this year, while Ding, 51, and Wang, 44, will both wrap up their first term.
Zhou Hongyi, the 52-year-old founder and chairman of internet security firm 360 Security Technology formerly known as Qihoo 360, will stay for another term.
During their terms, the tech moguls submitted dozens of proposals.
Baidu’s Li, whose company is investing heavily on autonomous driving, suggested last year that road traffic laws be amended to help commercialise the technology. NetEase’s Ding proposed in the same year that China should standardise the charging ports of electronic devices to reduce waste.
The next NPC delegate list is expected to be announced in late February.