Former member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China and Chairman of the National People’s Congress, Wu Bangguo, passed away on Tuesday (October 8th) at the age of 84. Wu Bangguo was a member of the Jiang faction’s “Shanghai clique,” and his family has been embroiled in numerous corruption scandals.
According to a report by Xinhua News Agency, Wu Bangguo passed away in Beijing at 4:36 pm on Tuesday due to ineffective treatment for his illness at the age of 84. The official obituary described Wu as a so-called “long-tested loyal communist warrior” and more.
On the evening of September 30th, the CCP’s “eleven” reception was held in Beijing. Apart from former CCP leaders Hu Jintao and Zhu Rongji, former Chairman of the National People’s Congress Wu Bangguo, CCP elder Song Ping, Luo Gan were absent, while former members of the Political Bureau Standing Committee including Wen Jiabao, Li Ruihuan, Yu Zhengsheng, Li Zhanshu, and Wang Yang attended.
Public records show that Wu Bangguo was born in July 1941 in Feidong, Anhui Province, and had a long career in Shanghai, holding positions such as Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of the Shanghai Instrument and Electronic Industry Bureau. In 1983, Wu Bangguo became a member of the Standing Committee of the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee and the Secretary of the Party Committee for Science and Technology in Shanghai. In 1985, he became the Deputy Secretary of the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee, and in 1991, he was appointed as the Secretary of the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee. In 1994, Wu became a member of the Secretariat of the Central Committee, in 1995, he served as a member of the Secretariat of the Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council, in 2003, he was appointed as the Chairman of the National People’s Congress, and was re-elected in 2008.
On March 10, 2011, Wu Bangguo caused controversy when he presented the so-called “Five Nos” by the CCP at the National People’s Congress (NPC), including principles like not allowing multi-party rotation of power, not promoting ideological diversity, and not implementing separation of powers or federalism, among others.
Wu Bangguo was a member of the 16th and 17th Central Political Bureau Standing Committee, ranking second within the Standing Committee only after then-CCP leader Hu Jintao. After the 18th National Congress of the CCP, he stepped down from the Political Bureau Standing Committee and retired from his position as Chairman of the National People’s Congress in 2013.
Considered a key member of the “Shanghai clique,” Wu Bangguo had a close relationship with former CCP leader Jiang Zemin. When Jiang was the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee Secretary, Wu was the Deputy Secretary. After Jiang moved to Beijing, Wu became the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee Secretary. Wu was then promoted by Jiang to the central government, holding positions such as member of the Central Political Bureau Standing Committee, Secretary of the Secretariat of the Central Committee, and Vice Premier of the State Council.
In 2002, at the 16th National Congress of the CCP, Wu Bangguo was introduced into the Political Bureau Standing Committee by Jiang Zemin. At that time, Wu was criticized for supporting Jiang Zemin against “Hu-Wen.”
Shanghai was a stronghold for former CCP leader Jiang Zemin, and over the years, the Jiang faction has established a complex and deeply intertwined network in the political and business circles of Shanghai. Members like Wu Bangguo, Huang Ju, Chen Liangyu, Han Zheng, and Yang Xiong were all high-ranking officials from Shanghai and considered loyalists of Jiang Zemin.
During Jiang Zemin’s rule, under the slogan of “getting rich in silence,” Wu Bangguo’s family reportedly accumulated billions of yuan in assets. Over the years, revelations of corruption scandals involving Wu Bangguo’s family have continued to surface.
According to reports from Hong Kong media, Wu Bangguo’s wife, Zhang Ruizhen, was originally an ordinary female worker at Shanghai Wireless No. 11 Factory. As her husband’s status rose, she became a director of Shanghai Feilo Acoustics Co., Ltd.
Wu Bangguo’s son-in-law, Feng Shaodong, first served as the Chairman for China at Merrill Lynch Investment Bank before becoming the President of the China Guangdong Nuclear Power Industry Investment Fund with assets reaching 10 billion yuan, and also served as an external director at the super business conglomerate Shanghai Bailian Group. Wu Bangguo’s brothers, Wu Bangjie and Wu Bangsheng, also transformed from ordinary citizens to influential figures in Shanghai. Wu Bangsheng, in particular, is involved in Shanghai’s real estate and construction business, amassing substantial wealth.
At a cadre conference of Shanghai Electric Group on December 12th of last year, Wu Lei was appointed as the Secretary of the Party Committee of the group and nominated as the candidate for chairman. At the young age of 46, Wu Lei is the son of Wu Bangguo.