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China's 'iron lady' Wu Yi steps down from key political post
Beijing (AFP) Oct 21, 2007 China's most powerful woman, Vice Premier Wu Yi, signalled her retirement on Sunday, ending a career as a tough negotiator and troubleshooter that earned plaudits at home and abroad for "the iron lady." Wu, 69, was not named to the Communist Party's new Central Committee at the close of a five-yearly party Congress, the official Xinhua news agency reported. Her failure to win another term on the committee appeared linked to her age and means she will step down from the vice premiership when China's parliament names a new government in March next year. Wu has been deeply involved in China's spectacular integration with the global economy for more than 15 years, serving as vice minister and minister of trade in the early 1990s. She earned a sterling reputation as China's negotiator on a range of international issues, starting with the drawn-out talks preceding China's entry into the World Trade Organisation in 2001. Wu displayed a skill for winning over her adversaries, who regularly praised her no-nonsense, yet pragmatic, negotiating skills and earned the nickname "the iron lady" in the Chinese press. With her political star rising, China turned to her in 2003 to address the country's outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). Replacing her predecessor who had tried to cover up the epidemic, she was named new health minister and earned wide respect for restoring some credibility to Chinese authorities and helping to successfully curb the outbreak. China's top communist ranks are overwhelmingly male-dominated but that did not hold back the former petrochemical engineer, who never married. She was the only woman on the country's powerful politburo and earlier this year was named by Forbes magazine as the world's second most powerful woman behind German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Her reputation in China has not dimmed with age. In August, China announced a new nationwide effort to stamp out chronic product-safety problems in the country's massive manufacturing sector, putting Wu in charge. She also was made China's pointwoman for a recurring strategic economic dialogue with the United States that began last year. Xinhua made no mention of Wu's future plans. Related Links China News from SinoDaily.com
China's non-communists hold no power despite promotions
Beijing (AFP) Oct 19, 2007There was an almost tangible air of sadness as Zhang Lifan talked of his late father's vision for China almost 60 years ago. |
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