Zhang Dejiang
Zhang Dejiang was appointed vice premier in March 2008. He was appointed a member of the 17th Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Central Committee Politburo in October 2007.
Born in November 1946 in Tai'an, Liaoning, Zhang was sent to work in an agricultural commune in Wangqing County, Jilin, in 1968. Zhang joined the local Communist Youth League in 1970 and the CCP in 1971.
Zhang began to study Korean at Yanbian University in 1972. He became deputy secretary of the university's party branch in 1975, a position he held until 1978 when he attended Kim Il Sung University in North Korea to study economics. In 1980, Zhang returned to Yanbian University as president.
Beginning in 1983, Zhang served in various party positions throughout Jilin. In 1986, he was brought to Beijing to work as vice minister of Civil Affairs and deputy secretary of that ministry's party branch. Zhang returned to Jilin in 1990 as deputy secretary of the provincial communist party branch; in 1995, he was elevated to party secretary.
Zhang headed south in 1998, first as party secretary of Zhejiang from 1998 to 2002, and then as party secretary of Guangdong, from 2002 to 2007.
Zhang was an alternate member of the 14th CCP Central Committee and a member of the 15th and 16th CCP Central Committees.