Wu Bangguo

Wu Bangguo (22 July 1941 – 8 October 2024) was a Chinese politician who served as the second-ranking member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party from 2002 to 2012, and as Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress from 2003 to 2013.

Wu was an electrical engineer by profession, and rose to political prominence during his work in Shanghai. During the early 1980s, he was in charge of science and technology related work in Shanghai, where he worked with Jiang Zemin, then mayor and later Party secretary of the city, leading Wu to be affiliated with Jiang's political faction. He became Shanghai's party secretary in 1991, succeeding Zhu Rongji, leading him to assume a seat in the CCP Politburo in 1992. He became the country's Vice Premier of the State Council in 1995, with a portfolio including state-owned enterprises and the construction of the Three Gorges Dam.

He joined the Politburo Standing Committee in 2002, and was appointed the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress in 2003. Serving as one of the highest-ranking officials under Party general secretary Hu Jintao, Wu is generally regarded to have taken more conservative positions towards political reforms during his tenure. During his efforts, the NPCSC passed numerous administrative, social and economic laws to form a "socialist system of laws with Chinese characteristics". Notable laws passed during his tenure include the 2004 amendment to the Constitution, the Anti-Secession Law, the Oversight Law and the Property Law. He stepped down from the Politburo Standing Committee in 2012, and was succeeded by Zhang Dejiang as Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress in 2013.

Wu was born on 22 July 1941, in Pingba, Guizhou, with ancestral roots in Feidong, Anhui. His father Wu Zhongxing was a cartographer working on map projection. He entered Tsinghua University in 1960, majoring in electron tube engineering at the Department of Radio Electronics, where he graduated in 1967. He joined the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 1964. After graduation, he was employed as a worker and technician at Shanghai's No. 3 Electronic Tube Factory, and then deputy chief and chief of the technical section from 1976 to 1978. He would eventually go on to lead the factory as its party secretary. In 1978 he was assigned to become the deputy manager of Shanghai Electronic Elements Company, and between 1979 and 1981 the deputy manager of Shanghai Electron Tube Company. Between 1981 and 1983 he worked as the deputy secretary of Shanghai Meters, Instruments and Telecommunications Bureau.

Wu's work in electronics companies earned him a tenure in the city's upper echelons of power. He became part of the Standing Committee of the Shanghai party committee in 1983, effectively becoming part of Shanghai's political inner circle, and was put in charge of work related to science and technology. During this time, he worked with Jiang Zemin, who was mayor and later the CCP secretary of the city. Between 1985 and 1991, Wu was elevated to CCP deputy secretary of Shanghai, and subsequently as CCP secretary of Shanghai, succeeding Jiang. During his tenure in Shanghai, he was seen as the official most responsible for developing the Pudong New Area.

As Shanghai's political and economic stature grew due to economic reforms, Wu gained a seat on the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party, China's ruling council, in 1992. He was subsequently appointed the third-ranking vice premier in 1995 under premier Li Peng. During this period, he served in a portfolio dealing with industry and reforming state-owned enterprises, and also oversaw the Three Gorges Dam. He continued as vice premier under Zhu Rongji, and served as the role until 2003.^{[citation needed]}

At the 16th Party Congress in November 2002, Wu entered the highest power elite in the country, ranking second in the Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, only under General Secretary Hu Jintao. In 2003, at the first session of the 10th National People's Congress, he was appointed as the chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, succeeding Li Peng. During his tenure, Wu was generally regarded as a member of the Shanghai clique and an associate of Jiang Zemin, generally taking a conservative approach towards reform. He was also described as having a low-key profile during his time in office.

Wu oversaw efforts in "forming a socialist system of laws with Chinese characteristics". Under his leadership, the NPCSC passed the Property Law (2007) and Tort Liability Law (2009), laying the groundwork for the Civil Code passed in 2020. Regarding administration, it passed the Administrative Licensing Law (2003) and the Administrative Compulsion Law (2011), as well as the Road Traffic Safety Law (2003), the Public Security Administration Punishments Law (2006) and the Food Safety Law (2009). Regarding social issues, it passed the Labor Contract Law (2007), Law on the Mediation and Arbitration of Labor Disputes (2007), and Social Insurance Law (2010), while regarding economics, it passed the Banking Supervision and Administration Law (2003), Enterprise Bankruptcy Law (2006), and Anti-Monopoly Law (2007).