Zhang Guoqing

Zhang Guoqing 张国清
Zhang in 2012
Communist Party Secretary of Liaoning
Incumbent
Assumed office September 1, 2020
Preceded by	Chen Qiufa
Mayor of Tianjin
In office January 2, 2018 – September 1, 2020
Party Secretary	Li Hongzhong
Preceded by	Wang Dongfeng
Succeeded by	Liao Guoxun
Mayor of Chongqing
In office December 30, 2016 – January 2, 2018
Party Secretary	Sun Zhengcai→Chen Min'er
Preceded by	Huang Qifan
Succeeded by	Tang Liangzhi
Personal details
Born	August 1964 (age 57) Luoshan County, Henan, China
Political party	Communist Party of China
Residence	Tianjin
Alma mater	Changchun University of Science and Technology Nanjing University of Science and Technology

Zhang Guoqing (Chinese: 张国清; pinyin: Zhāng Guóqīng; born August 1964) is a Chinese politician and former corporate executive who is the current CPC Secretary of Liaoning and former mayor of Tianjin, one of the four direct-controlled municipalities of China. An economics doctorate from Tsinghua University, Zhang had previously served as the mayor of Chongqing, the chief executive of North Industries, a military contractor.

Biography[]

Zhang was born in 1964 in the town of Lingshan, Luoshan County, Henan province. He studied electrical engineering at the Changchun Institute of Optical Mechanics (now Changchun University of Science and Technology) and graduated in 1985. After graduating, he pursued a master's degree from the Nanjing University of Science and Technology in international trade.

Zhang then worked at Norinco, a military supplier. He began work as a project manager, then worked in the company's operations in the Middle East, including a stint in the company's office in Tehran. He was promoted to Vice President in 1996, and by 1998, he had become the Communist Party Secretary of the company, first-in-charge. He also became Chairman of the Board of China Wanbao Engineering Ltd.^[1] In 1999, Zhang began work for the China North Industries Group Corporation as a Vice-President. By April 2004 he was promoted to chief executive of North Industries. During this time he also earned a doctorate in economics from Tsinghua University. Between September and November 2001 he took part in an executive management course at Harvard Business School.

In 2007, Zhang was named an alternate member of the 17th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, and was one of the youngest members with a seat on the body (he was only 42 at the time). By 2012, China North Industries had secured a place in the Fortune Global 500. In 2012, he became a full member of the 18th Central Committee.

In April 2013, Zhang took on a political office for the first time in his life, and was named deputy party chief of Chongqing;^[2] three months later he also took on the role of president of the Chongqing party school, which is customary for deputy party chiefs of a jurisdiction.^[3] Along with Ma Xingrui, Zhang was the only provincial-level deputy party chief with a full seat on the 18th Central Committee. In December 2016, Zhang was appointed the acting mayor of Chongqing.^[4]

In December 2017, Zhang was appointed as the CPC Deputy Secretary of Tianjin.^[5] Later, he was appointed as Mayor in January 2018.^[6]

On September 1, 2020, Zhang was appointed as the CPC Secretary of Liaoning.^[7]

Zhang is seen as a promising candidate for the "6th generation of Chinese leadership". Compared to his contemporaries, Zhang's background is unusual in that much of his career was spent as a corporate executive rather than in politics.

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