Shanghai Vice Mayor Liu Duo was dismissed from her position yesterday, September 25. Liu Duo, an expert in the fields of the internet and AI, previously served as the Director of the China Information and Communication Research Institute and the Director of the Technology Department of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. When the current Chinese Premier Li Qiang was leading Shanghai, Liu Duo was transferred from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology to become the Vice Mayor of Shanghai in 2021.
According to reports from Shanghai official media, the Standing Committee of the Shanghai Municipal People’s Congress made the decision to remove Liu Duo from her position as the Vice Mayor of Shanghai on September 25.
Public records show that Liu Duo was born in April 1966 in Wuchang, Heilongjiang Province. She graduated from Tsinghua University in Radio Engineering in 1989, obtained her master’s degree in Acoustics from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1992, and completed a Master of Information and Communication Management from Fudan University School of Management/Norwegian School of Management in 2004.
Liu Duo is an expert in industrial internet, cloud computing, big data, and AI. She has held various important positions in the field, such as Deputy Director of the Second Division of the Telecommunications Research Institute of the Ministry of Information Industry, Director of the Communication Standard Research Institute of the Telecommunications Research Institute of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Deputy Dean of the Telecommunications Research Institute of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and Deputy Director of the Information and Communication Administration Bureau of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. From September 2016 to January 2021, she served as the Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Dean of the China Information and Communication Research Institute. In January 2021, she became the Director of the Technology Department of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and in December 2021, she was appointed as the Vice Mayor of Shanghai, overseeing technology.
Liu Duo has also served as the Deputy Secretary-General of the China Communications Standardization Association, Secretary-General of the China Internet Association, and has led various projects under the National 863 Program and industrial development as the project leader. She is a delegate of the 13th and 14th National People’s Congress.
The official reason for Liu Duo’s dismissal has not been announced. This news has sparked attention and discussions among netizens in Shanghai:
“Wouldn’t it be better for her to return as the Mayor or Party Secretary of Wuchang? Let Shanghai people manage Shanghai.” “What has she done in Shanghai over the years? This is the first time I’ve heard of this name.” “The officials are ignorant and the people are indifferent, sigh~” “Overreaching oneself, the unlucky one is oneself.”
On September 25, anti-communist influencer Yin Ke, who is familiar with the Chinese Communist system and currently residing in Australia, claimed in his self-media platform that during Li Qiang’s tenure as the Chinese Premier in Shanghai, he wanted to promote AI development and saw Liu Duo as a talented individual, leading to her transfer.
Li Qiang served as the Secretary of the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee from October 2017 to October 2022.