Jia Qinglin

Jia Qinglin (born March 1940 in Botou, Hebei) was a senior leader of the People's Republic of China. He was the fourth ranking member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China, the Chairman and Party secretary of the National Committee of the People's Political Consultative Conference. Jia's functions as the head of China's consultative legislative body are largely ceremonial in nature.

Earlier he had served as the CPC Party Chief in Fujian and Beijing.

An engineer by profession, and one of former General Secretary Jiang Zemin's trusted allies and protégés, Jia Qinglin's rise in the politburo is attributed to his relationship with Jiang. Jia served as the Party chief in Fujian in the early 1990s. He was later transferred to Beijing in 1996 to replace then Beijing Party-chief Chen Xitong who was arrested on corruption charges. Jia served as the acting mayor, Mayor and Party Chief in Beijing, coming onto the national and international spotlight during the 50th Anniversary of PRC celebrations as the event's host.

Because of his high local position and his ties with then-General Secretary Jiang Zemin, in November 2002 Jia became the fourth-ranking member of the 16th Politburo Standing Committee (PSC) of the Communist Party of China. Although his ceremonial role as the Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, a quasi-consultative upper house in China's political system, makes him fourth in the order of precedence, it is widely accepted that the position has very little power, perhaps the least amount of power in the nine PSC members. Jia Qinglin was the most senior Chinese official to attend the funeral of Zhao Ziyang. With the transition of authority to Hu Jintao in 2005, Jia appears to have been given the job of coordinating policy on Taiwan.

Jia was reelected to the 17th Politburo Standing Committee during the CPC 17th national congress, a move that analysts predicted partly because of Jia's loyalty to his patron, former party general secretary Jiang Zemin.

In 2009, a Spanish court indicted Jia and four other officials of genocide against Falun Gong.

1956–1958: Student majoring in industrial enterprise planning at Shijiazhuang Industrial Management School.

1958–1962: Student majoring in electric motor and appliance design and manufacture of the Department of Electric Power of Hebei institution of Technology (now Hebei University of Technology).

1962–1969: Technician of the Complete Plant Bureau of the First Machine-Building Industry Ministry and deputy secretary of its CYLC organization.

1969–1971: Did manual work in the 7 May Cadre School of the First Machine-Building Industry Ministry in Fengxin County, Jiangxi Province.

1971–1973: Technician of the Policy Research Office of the General Office of the First Machine-Building Industry Ministry.

1973–1978: Chief of the Product Management Bureau of the First Ministry of Machine-building Industry.

1978–1983: General manager of China National Machinery and Equipment Import and Export Corporation.

1983–1985: Director of Taiyuan Heavy Machinery Plant and secretary of its Party committee.

1985–1986: Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Fujian Provincial Committee and its deputy secretary.

1986–1988: Deputy secretary of the CPC Fujian Provincial Committee and head of the Organization Department of the CPC Fujian Provincial Committee.

1988–1990: Deputy secretary of the CPC Fujian Provincial Committee, president of the Party School of the CPC Fujian Provincial Committee and secretary of the Work Committee of Departments under the CPC Fujian Provincial Committee.

1990–1991: Deputy secretary of the CPC Fujian Provincial Committee, deputy governor and acting governor of Fujian Province.

1991–1993: Deputy secretary of the CPC Fujian Provincial Committee and governor of Fujian Province.

1993–1994: Secretary of the CPC Fujian Provincial Committee and governor of Fujian Province.

1994–1996: Secretary of the CPC Fujian Provincial Committee and chairman of the Standing Committee of the Fujian Provincial People's Congress.

1996–1997: Deputy secretary of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee, vice-mayor, acting mayor and mayor of Beijing.

1997–1999: Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, secretary of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee and mayor of Beijing.

1999–2002: Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and secretary of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee.

2002–2012: Member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.

March 2003: Elected chairman of the 10th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.