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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

last updated:

7 October, 2024

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

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.

23 May 2024 - 7:00PMvideocam

Two Sessions 2024

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

12 Mar 2024 - 8:55AMvideocam

China economy

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

4 Jul 2023 - 7:00AMvideocam

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.

14 Mar 2023 - 11:41AMvideocam

Chinese Premier Li Qiang Li did not touch on challenging questions such as security or Beijing’s position on the war in Ukraine at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Monday. Photo: AP

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.

25 Aug 2022 - 2:16AMvideocam

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.

1 Dec 2022 - 12:44AMvideocam

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.

30 Jun 2021 - 1:45AM

Performers celebrate the Communist Party’s centenary in a three-hour show at the National Stadium in Beijing on Monday night. Photo: Simon Song

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.

19 Apr 2021 - 8:00PMvideocam

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.

24 Dec 2020 - 8:45PM

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.

21 Jul 2020 - 9:38PM

Shanghai Shenhua left back Wen Jiabao in action in preseason. Photo: Weibo/Shanghai Shenhua

Ex-premier Wen Jiabao resurfaces in the classroom

1 May 2017 - 6:20PM

China’s former premier Wen Jiabao plays chess with secondary school pupils in Luliang, Shanxi province. Photo: Handout

Apple

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

6 Jan 2017 - 7:23PMvideocam

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

28 Apr 2016 - 4:34PM

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.

31 May 2014 - 11:46AM

The ex-premier relives his childhood, playing jump rope with the children. Photo: Liudaohe Middle School

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.

9 May 2014 - 2:55AM

Wen Jiabao at the Great Hall of the People in 2013. Photo: AP

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".

7 Apr 2014 - 7:56AM

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.

24 Mar 2014 - 7:49AM

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.

22 Feb 2019 - 3:19PM

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.

21 Jan 2014 - 4:58PM

The New York Times

Update | Discussions of Wen Jiabao's daughter censored in China as more foreign media sites blocked

16 Nov 2013 - 4:44PM

JPMorgan Chase

Update | JPMorgan Chase's ties with Wen Jiabao's family investigated

To promote its standing in China, JPMorgan Chase turned to a seemingly obscure consulting firm run by a 32-year-old executive named Lily Chang. Chang's firm, which received a US$75,000-a-month contract from JPMorgan, appeared to have only two employees.

15 Nov 2013 - 7:32AM

JPMorgan is being investigated by US authorities over its hiring practices in China. Photo: Reuters

Former Premier Wen Jiabao re-appears to praise Xi Jinping’s father

18 Oct 2013 - 5:06AMvideocam

Former Premier Wen Jiabao seen in the CCTV interview broadcast on Wednesday. Screenshot from television footage.

Li Ka-shing

Li warning heats up Hong Kong-Shanghai debate

Hong Kong dealmaker par excellence Li Ka-shing, fondly known to locals as Superman, says Shanghai's free-trade zone could be Kryptonite to the city in which he built his fortune.

19 Sep 2013 - 8:07AM

Li Keqiang

China Development Bank loans point to stealthy economic stimulus

China Development Bank (CDB) has agreed to fund massive infrastructure borrowing by three mainland provincial governments in the latest sign of an effort by Beijing to prop up growth with targeted bursts of lending.

23 Jan 2018 - 11:45AM

Xi Jinping

Promotion snub of Wen Jiabao son-in-law takes cue from Xi Jinping?

The appointment of Yang Jiacai as assistant chairman of the China Banking Regulatory Commission, announced on Tuesday, saw him leapfrog Liu Chunhang - the son-in-law of former premier Wen Jiabao and the head of the CBRC statistics and research departments and a member of the elite "reserved official" promotion programme.

23 Jan 2018 - 11:45AM

Xi Jinping spoke about promoting officials who are capable and practical. Photo: EPA

Li Keqiang

Mixed reviews as Li Keqiang takes centre stage as China's new premier

18 Mar 2013 - 5:28AM

Li Keqiang

Wen Jiabao bows out after 10 years as premier

17 Mar 2013 - 7:41AM

Parallel trading

Small issues could grow into big trouble

As reporters gathered in Beijing last week for the National People's Congress, one of the phrases we heard most was "milk powder".

11 Mar 2013 - 5:18AM

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