Former Politburo Standing Committee member and National People’s Congress Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party, Wu Bangguo, passed away in the early hours of October 8th at the age of 84. Wu Bangguo, a member of the Jiang faction’s “Shanghai clique,” once presented the controversial “Five Nos” policy to oppose then Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.
According to the official report by Xinhua News Agency, Wu Bangguo passed away in Beijing at 4:36 am on the 8th due to ineffective medical treatment at the age of 84.
During the “eleventh” reception of the Chinese Communist Party on the evening of September 30th, former party leader Hu Jintao, former Premier Zhu Rongji, former National People’s Congress Chairman Wu Bangguo, veteran party members Song Ping and Luo Gan were absent. Former Politburo Standing Committee members including Wen Jiabao, Li Ruihuan, Yu Zhengsheng, Li Zhanshu, and Wang Yang attended the event.
Public records show that Wu Bangguo, born in July 1941 in Feidong, Anhui Province, rose to prominence in Shanghai as a key member of the “Shanghai clique.” When Jiang Zemin, the former party leader, became the Party Secretary of Shanghai, Wu served as the Deputy Secretary. Upon Jiang’s move to Beijing, Wu took over as the Party Secretary of Shanghai before being promoted to the central government by Jiang.
In 1994, Wu Bangguo became the Secretary of the Central Secretariat and in 1995, he served as both the Secretary of the Central Secretariat and the Vice Premier of the State Council. In 2002, at the 16th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, Wu Bangguo was promoted to the Politburo Standing Committee by Jiang Zemin and was re-elected to the 16th and 17th Communist Party Congresses.
In 2003, Wu Bangguo became the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress and was re-elected in 2008. At that time, Wu ranked second among the Politburo Standing Committee members, serving as the de facto number two figure, second only to the then party leader Hu Jintao.
During his tenure as Chairman of the National People’s Congress, Wu was accused of using the Congress to confront the “Hu-Wen” administration. Wen Jiabao, the then Premier, was seen as a thorn in the side of the Jiang faction, and his views on political reforms were deeply resented by Jiang’s supporters. Therefore, Wu opposed Wen Jiabao on a series of major policy issues.
One of the most controversial policies he supported against Wen Jiabao was the so-called “Five Nos,” which included opposition to multi-party rotation in power, ideological diversification, the separation of three powers and a bicameral system, federalism, and privatization.
In his work report to the National People’s Congress on March 10, 2011, Wu Bangguo vehemently criticized Western democratic systems, reiterating that China would not adopt a multi-party rotation system and emphasizing the “Five Nos” policy. He stressed that this was not his personal improvisation but a report that was approved by Politburo Standing Committee members.
On March 11, several central officials at a regional discussion unanimously expressed “complete support” for Wu Bangguo’s report, while Wen Jiabao made no mention of it. The “Five Nos” policy sparked widespread criticism online, with Zhao Ziyang’s former secretary Bo Tong publishing three articles fiercely criticizing it.
In February 2007, Wen Jiabao published an article through Xinhua News Agency advocating that universal values are not exclusive to capitalism but are values pursued collectively by humanity throughout history, drawing attention from the international community. Subsequently, publications controlled by the Jiang faction such as the Beijing Daily released comments refuting his statements.
In September 2008, during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly, Wen Jiabao acknowledged Western-promoted universal values. In response, Wu Bangguo harshly criticized Western political systems, taking an opposing stance.
During the National People’s Congress in March 2009, Wu Bangguo declared that China would not blindly copy Western political systems. Party media outlets, including the Beijing Daily, openly criticized “universal values,” directing their criticism towards Wen Jiabao.
After Wen Jiabao expressed his universal values, Wu Bangguo, along with other Politburo Standing Committee members such as Jia Qinglin, Li Changchun, and Zhou Yongkang, utilized the Communist Party’s propaganda department and party media to launch criticisms against Wen’s universal values.
In August 2010, during his inspection of Shenzhen, Wen Jiabao called for political reforms, stating that without political reforms, the achievements of economic reforms would not be sustained, a statement that was publicly refuted by media outlets in Beijing.