Quick Facts
Biography
Guo Shengkun (Chinese: 郭声琨; born October 1954) is a Chinese politician and business executive. He is the current Minister of Public Security of the People's Republic of China, and one of the five State Councilors. Previously Guo served as the Communist Party Chief of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and CEO of Aluminum Corporation of China, a major state-owned enterprise.
Guo is a native of Xingguo County, Jiangxi province. He has a doctoral degree in Business Administration from the University of Science and Technology Beijing.
Career
Metal industry
Guo Shengkun entered the workforce in 1973 during the Cultural Revolution as a sent-down youth in rural Jiangxi province, and joined the Communist Party of China in December 1974. From 1977 to 1979 he studied mining at the Jiangxi Institute of Metallurgy (now Jiangxi University of Science and Technology).
Starting in 1979 Guo worked in the non-ferrous metal industry in Jiangxi, rising through the ranks of China Non-Ferrous Metal Mining Corporation. In 2000 he led the creation of the state-owned enterprise Aluminum Corporation of China (Chinalco) and became the Chairman and CEO of the company. He also oversaw the dual listings of Chinalco's subsidiary, Aluminum Corporation of China Limited (Chalco), on the New York and Hong Kong stock exchanges.
Politics
Guangxi
After more than two decades in the metal industry, in 2004 Guo was transferred to the government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, becoming the deputy party chief and deputy chairman of the provincial-level region which is rich non-ferrous metal reserves. In November 2007 he succeeded Liu Qibao, who was transferred to Sichuan province, as the Communist Party Chief of Guangxi. He held the position until December 2012, when he was succeeded by Peng Qinghua.
Minister of Public Security
In December 2012 Guo was transferred to the national government to succeed Meng Jianzhu as the Minister of Public Security, China's top cop. Some political analysts questioned his suitability for the post as he had minimal legal experience. On 16 March 2013 Guo was appointed one of the five State Councilors in China.
Guo Shengkun was an alternate member of the 16th and the 17th Central Committees, and is a full member of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.