Guo Shengkun (Chinese: ; born 16 October 1954) is a retired Chinese politician and business executive. Between 2017 and 2022, he was the secretary of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission of the Chinese Communist Party, a member of the CCP Politburo, and a secretary of the CCP Secretariat.

Guo Shengkun
郭声琨
Secretary of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission
In office
31 October 2017 – 28 October 2022
General SecretaryXi Jinping
Preceded byMeng Jianzhu
Succeeded byChen Wenqing
State Councilor of the People's Republic of China
In office
16 March 2013 – 19 March 2018
PremierLi Keqiang
Minister of Public Security
In office
28 December 2012 – 4 November 2017
PremierWen Jiabao
Li Keqiang
DeputyFu Zhenghua, others
Preceded byMeng Jianzhu
Succeeded byZhao Kezhi
Communist Party Secretary of Guangxi
In office
November 2007 – December 2012
Preceded byLiu Qibao
Succeeded byPeng Qinghua
Personal details
Born (1954-10-16) 16 October 1954 (age 69)
Xingguo County, Jiangxi
Political partyChinese Communist Party
Alma materJiangxi University of Science and Technology
University of Science and Technology Beijing

Previously Guo served as the minister of Public Security, a state councilor, the Communist Party secretary of Guangxi and the general manager of Aluminum Corporation of China, a major state-owned enterprise.

Early life and education

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A native of Xingguo County, Jiangxi province, Guo Shengkun was born on 16 October 1954. Guo entered the workforce in 1973 during the Cultural Revolution as a sent-down youth at an agricultural commune in his native hometown, and joined the CCP in December 1974. From 1977 to 1979 he studied mining at the Jiangxi Institute of Metallurgy (now Jiangxi University of Science and Technology).[1][2]

Career

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Metal industry

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Starting in 1979 Guo worked in the non-ferrous metal industry in Jiangxi, rising through the ranks of the Machinery Department of the Ministry of Metallurgical Industry to become its section chief, party secretary, and superintendent.[2] He later became the head of the Huamei’ao Mine of China Non-Ferrous Metal Mining Corporation (CNMC) from 1985 to 1992, the head of the Guixi Silver Mine from 1992 to 1993, the head of the Nanchang Branch of the CNMC in Nanchang from 1993 to 1997, the deputy general manager of the CNMC from 1997 to 1998, and the deputy director of the Ministry of Nonferrous Metals from 1999 to 2000.[2]

In 2000 he led the creation of the state-owned enterprise Aluminum Corporation of China Limited (Chinalco) and became the General Manager 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.[3]

Politics

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Guangxi

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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 secretary and deputy chairman of the provincial-level region which is rich non-ferrous metal reserves.[3] In November 2007 he succeeded Liu Qibao, who was transferred to Sichuan province, as the Communist Party Secretary of Guangxi. He held the position until December 2012, when he was succeeded by Peng Qinghua.[4][3]

 
Guo meets with U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson at the third U.S.-China High-Level Joint Dialogue on Cybercrime and Related Issues on December 7, 2016, in Washington, D.C.

Minister of Public Security

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In December 2012 Guo was transferred to the national government to succeed Meng Jianzhu as the Minister of Public Security,[4][1] China's top policeman.[3] Some political analysts questioned his suitability for the post as he had minimal legal experience.[3] On 16 March 2013 Guo was appointed one of the five State Councilors in China.[5]

Guo Shengkun was an alternate member of the 16th and the 17th Central Committees, and a full member of the 18th Central Committee.[1]

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In October 2017, after the 19th Party Congress, Guo was appointed as the Secretary of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission (CPLAC) and as a member of the CCP Politburo.[6] He stepped down from the Politburo and as the CPLAC Secretary in October 2022.

References

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  1. ^ a b c 郭声琨简历 [Biography of Guo Shengkun] (in Chinese). People's Daily. Archived from the original on 2013-01-23. Retrieved 2013-02-07.
  2. ^ a b c "Guo Shengkun 郭声琨" (PDF). Brookings Institution. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e Li Jing (2012-12-29). "Naming of Guo Shengkun as security minister divides opinion". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2013-02-08.
  4. ^ a b 郭声琨简历 [Biography of Guo Shengkun] (in Simplified Chinese). Xinhua News Agency. Archived from the original on 2013-02-09. Retrieved 2013-02-07.
  5. ^ "NPC endorses new cabinet lineup". National People's Congress of China. 2013-03-16. Archived from the original on 2013-03-18. Retrieved 2013-03-19.
  6. ^ "中央政法委书记郭声琨:以习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想为指导 奋力开创新时代政法事业新局面". Xinhua. 2017-10-31. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved 2017-10-31.
Government offices
Preceded by Minister of Public Security
December 2012 – November 2017
Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by Secretary of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission
2017–2022
Incumbent
Preceded by Communist Party Secretary of
the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region

2007–2012
Succeeded by