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Wen Jiabao
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Wen Jiabao

Wen Jiabao
Wen Jiabao
Premier of China between 2003 and 2013, Wen Jiabao served as vice-premier between 1998 and 2002. Wen, who was born in 1942, spent 14 years working in Gansu province’s geological bureau before being promoted in 1982 to vice-minister of geology and mineral resources. Wen graduated from the Beijing Institute of Geology in 1968 and has a master’s degree in geology. He was a member of the Politburo Standing Committee between 2002 and 2012.
Born
15 Sep 1942
Industry
Politics
Job Title
Former Premier of China
Chinese university plaques display calligraphic titles created by political leaders like Mao Zedong, reflecting both the country’s political history and cultural appreciation. Photo: Shutterstock
Trending in China

Legacy in ink: how calligraphy links China’s political heritage to academia

Around 40 universities feature names inscribed by Mao Zedong, whose distinctive running script-style handwriting is widely recognised.

China-India relations

Why does China portray India as an elephant? Decoding politics of animal analogy

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Earthquakes

On This Day | Deadly earthquake that claimed thousands of lives in Japan – SCMP archive

China’s Communist Party

China’s continued hunt for corrupt ‘tigers’ snares State Council veteran

Tian Xuebin, who retired as vice-minister of water resources in 2023, served under several premiers.

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Tian Xuebin, a veteran of the State Council, China’s cabinet, has been placed under investigation by the party’s top anti-corruption agency. Photo: Handout
US-China relations

‘Not enthusiastic’: why China finds Trump’s ‘G2’ talk too costly in geopolitics

While the term treats China and the US as equals, Beijing is probably ‘not enthusiastic’ about its ‘hegemonic’ undertones, analysts say.

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China economy

Opinion | Time for China to set an explicit household consumption target

As Beijing’s five-year plan shapes up to follow a familiar agenda, policymakers need to focus on invigorating the consumer’s role as a more powerful driver of growth.

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China's military weapons

China parades statecraft and hardware as world faces ‘critical’ choices

From the rostrum overlooking Tiananmen Square, Beijing makes a diplomatic stand for a multipolar world.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping addresses attendees during the Victory Day parade in Beijing on Wednesday. Photo: Xinhua
China-Japan relations

After The War | Love, hate and the post-war paradox of China-Japan relations

A popular film about the Nanking massacre marks the latest fraught chapter between countries that view each other with suspicion and affinity.

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Hong Kong politics

On This Day | Donald Tsang becomes Hong Kong’s second chief executive in 2005 – SCMP archive

On this day 20 years ago, Donald Tsang Yam-kuen succeeded Tung Chee-hwa as Hong Kong’s leader, a post he held until 2012.

Diplomacy

Explainer | Strategic partnership: what to look for when China names ties with other nations

All-weather, all-round, strategic and future-oriented are among descriptors that show up the subtle differences in China’s relationships.

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Last week, when Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, met Russian President Vladimir Putin in China, their countries issued a statement about “deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for the new era”. Photo: Sputnik via AP
Two Sessions 2024

Opinion | Why I miss the Chinese premier’s annual press conference after the ‘two sessions’

The much-anticipated press conference at the close of the National People’s Congress was cancelled, discontinuing a customary practice that was established in the early 1990s.

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Chinese Premier Li Qiang presides over a press conference after the closing ceremony of the National People’s Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 13, 2023. Photo: AP
China economy

Opinion | Why China should maintain open and inclusive debate about its economy

Open and candid exchanges about the national economy have helped authorities pinpoint problems and find quick solutions, but the silencing of prominent financial writer Wu Xiaobo could put a dent in those lively debates.

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Two Sessions 2023

Chinese premier stays close to home in his first big turn on national stage

Li addresses few international issues in his debut press conference after the close of the national legislature’s annual session.

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China economy

The View | Return to focus on ideology leaves China’s economic growth lagging behind

China’s slowdown is being driven by a structural transformation of the economy, payback for past excesses and a shift in the ideological underpinnings of governance. Xi Jinping is prepared to forgo growth to cement political power and pursue his dream of national rejuvenation.

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A visitor walks in front of pictures of President Xi Jinping at the Museum of the Communist Party in Beijing. Photo: EPA-EFE
China’s Communist Party

Xi tries to build symbolic bridge between Communist Party’s past and future

The party chief urged young Chinese to follow the party, while paying tribute to past leaders such as Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping.

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Xi Jinping was flanked by former and current senior leaders as he delivered the speech over looking Tiananmen Square. Photo: Reuters
China’s Communist Party turns 100

China’s Communist Party goes back to the future in centenary curtain-raiser

Xi Jinping’s leadership highlighted in three-hour show at the ‘Bird’s Nest’ National Stadium.

Ex-Chinese premier Wen pays tribute to mother’s lessons in thrift

Wen wrote that his mother, who died last year, had shown him how to live a frugal, honest life after the hardships of his early years.

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China's social credit system

China’s social credit system punishes girl for dead father’s debts

Daughter of a man executed for murder is found liable by a Chinese court for his debts, and when the nine-year-old cannot pay, she is sanctioned under social credit system. After an outcry, the court reverses its decision.

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A Chinese court’s punishment of a nine-year-old child unable to pay her dead father’s debts highlights growing concern with the country’s social credit system. Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto
Chinese Super League

The Chinese footballer whose name fans dare not speak

Shanghai Shenhua signing Wen Jiabao’s name shares the same characters as China’s sixth premier forcing fans to be creative to avoid social media censorship.

Ex-premier Wen Jiabao resurfaces in the classroom

Apple

Milf jailbreak in Philippines, Apple’s block on New York Times

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Inmates gather inside the Kidapawan prison following the escape of more than 150 inmates. Photo: Reuters

Gone with the wind: statue hailing former premier of mainland China as a Taiwanese hero is taken down following outcry

statue

Back to school for Wen Jiabao: Ex-premier jumps rope and teaches class during visit

Former premier Wen Jiabao mingled with pupils at a middle school in Chengde in Hebei province, delivered a talk on science and even joined in a round of rope skipping.

Wen Jiabao, ex-premier, pens 90th birthday poem to scholar Ye Jiaying

Former premier Wen Jiabao has again garnered renewed public attention by writing a letter and a poem to scholar Ye Jiaying on the occasion of her 90th birthday.

Mr Shangkong

Mr. Shangkong | Forget 'Likonomics', it's all about economic stimulus in China again

When Li Keqiang took over as premier early last year, he quickly became known for an economic plan called "Likonomics".

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang
Mr Shangkong

Mr. Shangkong | Overseas study offers young education on foreign policy

US first lady Michelle Obama is absolutely right about the importance of overseas education, and that is exactly what the sons and daughters of many former and current mainland leaders have already experienced or are eager to experience.

US First Lady Michelle Obama talks with students who practise table tennis while visiting the Second High School in Beijing. Photo: Xinhua
British Virgin Islands leaks

Symphony of scandal: The significance of the ICIJ leaks timing

On January 22, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) published an excoriating report on the extent of offshore accounts owned by China's wealthy and powerful. We illustrate how the exposé ties in with the timelines of other important ongoing stories.

Article on 'humble' Wen reappears amid rumours he is next graft target

A lengthy article about former premier Wen Jiabao's family roots written more than a decade ago has reappeared on the website of the Communist Party's mouthpiece.

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