China's 'missile man' to head top advisory legislative body

China's 'missile man' to head top advisory legislative body

 

China's "missile man" Yu

Zhengsheng, who emerged as one of top seven members of the

ruling Communist Party, was today elected as chairman of a key

political advisory legislative body, which also entails him to

handle Tibet and other minorities issues.

            62-year-old Yu, till last year headed the powerful

Shanghai branch of the CPC, was elected as the Chairman of the

Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC),

taking another step toward completing the once-in-a-decade

leadership change.

            CPPCC is a body with 2200 nominated members, 60 per cent

of them were reportedly non CPC members.

            Yu ranks number four in the high power seven member CPC

Politburo Standing Committee headed by Party General Secretary

Xi Jinping, which was elected last year at the Party's 18th

Congress last November.

            He had the tag being missile man as he was graduated from

Harbin's Military Engineering Institute with a major in

automatic control systems of ballistic missiles specialising

in the design of automated missiles.

            A loyalist of late reformist leader Deng Xiaoping, Yu

worked as deputy director, Research Institute for Promotion

and Application of Electronic Technology before he was

appointed for various high level political appointments in the

CPC.

            Xi is set to become President succeeding Hu Jintao later

this week. Yu succeeds Jia Qinglin as the CPPCC, Chairman, who

will be retiring along with Hu's team.

            China has two national legislatures, the 3000 strong

National People's Congress (NPC), comprising mostly the CPC

deputies and the CPPCC the advisory body, comprising of

nominated members of sports, cultural and religious fields.

            Veteran film star Jackie Chan and last year's Nobel Prize

winner, Mo Yan were nominated to CPPCC today. The CPPCC head

also handles minorities.

            Significantly, the former CPC head of Tibet, Zhang Qingli

was elected as secretary-general of CPPCC.

            Twenty three vice chairpersons of the 12th CPPCC National

Committee were also chosen who included Zhou Xiaochuan,

governor of the People's Bank of China and four ethnic

Tibetans.

            Besides turbulence in Tibet due to over 100 self

immolations protesting the Chinese rule, Yu also handle the

other volatile minority, the Uygur Muslims of Xinjiang, who

were agitating against the Han Chinese settlements in their

province.

            In his recent visit to Sichuan province where the highest

of Tibetan self immolations have taken place, Yu said that the

"fight" against the Dalai Lama and his supporters should

continue in order to create favourable social and political

environment in Tibet.

            "The fight against the Dalai Lama clique should continue

in order to create a favourable social and political

environment for economic development and the improvement of

people's well-being," Yu said and called on monks and nuns to

be patriotic and observe the law and monastic rules.