VZCZCXRO1795
RR RUEHCN RUEHGH RUEHVC
DE RUEHGZ #1260 3370735
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 030735Z DEC 07
FM AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6707
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEKJCS/DIA WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC//USDP/ISA/AP//
RHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI//J00/J2/J3/J5//
UNCLAS GUANGZHOU 001260
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
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STATE FOR EAP/CM
STATE PASS USTR
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PINR CH
SUBJECT: New Guangdong, Guangxi Party Secretaries
(U) THIS DOCUMENT IS SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED. IT SHOULD NOT BE
DISSEMINATED OUTSIDE U.S. GOVERNMENT CHANNELS OR IN ANY PUBLIC FORUM
WITHOUT THE WRITTEN CONCURRENCE OF THE ORIGINATOR. IT SHOULD NOT BE
POSTED ON THE INTERNET.
1. (U) Summary: Key announcements affecting south China leadership
were made over the weekend: former Chongqing Party Secretary Wang
Yang has been appointed Guangdong Party Secretary while Guangxi
Deputy Party Secretary Guo Shengkun will move up to become Party
Secretary, replacing Liu Qibao, who has been named Sichuan Party
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Secretary. End summary.
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New Appointments in South China
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2. (U) Over the weekend, former Chongqing Party Secretary Wang Yang
was named Guangdong Party Secretary, replacing Zhang Dejiang. Media
reports indicate Zhang will be promoted to a still unconfirmed
position in the central government. The reports speculate that he
could replace Wu Yi as Vice Premier.
3. (U) Guo Shengkun was appointed Party Secretary of Guangxi Zhuang
Autonomous Region, replacing Liu Qibao, who has been named Party
Secretary of Sichuan Province. In apparently unrelated news,
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Guangxi Vice Chairman (the autonomous region's equivalent to a
provincial vice governor) Sun Yu was dismissed on November 30 for
allegedly receiving bribes worth RMB 400 million (about US$54
million) related to construction of a flood control and water
conservation project.
Wang Yang Biographic Information
--------------------------------
4. (SBU) New Guangdong Party Secretary Wang Yang was born in 1955 in
Anhui Province. He graduated from the University of Science and
Technology of China with a master's degree in engineering. He was
elevated to the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and
Politburo at the 17th Party Congress in October. Wang served as
Chongqing Municipal Party Secretary from 2005 to 2007 and Deputy
Secretary General of the State Council from 2003 to 2005. His
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previous appointments include Vice Minister of the State Development
and Reform Commission (1999-2003), Anhui Deputy Party Secretary
(1998-1999), Anhui Vice Governor (1993-1999), and Mayor of Tongling
City in Anhui (1992-1993). Congen Chengdu may weigh in later with a
review of Wang's tenure in Chongqing.
Guo Shengkun Biographic Information
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5. (SBU) New Guangxi Party Secretary Guo Shengkun was born in
October 1954 in Xingguo, Jiangxi Province. He is a graduate of the
Jiangxi Metallurgical Institute and earned a master's degree in
engineering from the Zhongnan Industrial University. He served as
Guangxi Deputy Party Secretary from 2004 to 2007. His previous
experience was entirely in the mining industry, ending with his
tenure as Chairman, CEO and Party Secretary of the Aluminum
Corporation of China from 2001 to 2004.
Liu Qibao Biographic Information
--------------------------------
6. (SBU) Former Guangxi Party Secretary Liu Qibao was born in
January 1953 in Anhui Province. He studied history at Anhui Normal
University and earned a master's degree in economics from Jilin
University. Liu served as Guangxi Party Secretary from 2006 to
2007. For most of 2007 he also served as chair of the Guangxi
People's Congress. He was Guangxi Deputy Party Secretary from 2000
to 2006. His previous positions include Deputy Secretary General of
the State Council (1994-2000), Deputy Editor in Chief of the
People's Daily (1993-1994), and Secretary of the Central Chinese
Communist Youth League Secretariat (1985-1993).
GOLDBERG