1. Sun Chunlan served as the second-ranked Vice Premier of China and the highest-ranking incumbent female government official until March 2023.
24 Facts About Sun Chunlan
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From 2009 to 2014, Sun Chunlan served in two prominent regional posts, first as the Chinese Communist Party Committee Secretary of Fujian province, then of Tianjin, one of China's four direct-controlled municipalities.
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Sun Chunlan was born on 24 May 1950 in Raoyang County, Hebei.
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Sun Chunlan enrolled in the Anshan Industrial Technology Academy in Liaoning in 1965.
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Sun Chunlan joined the Chinese Communist Party in May 1973, during the latter stages of the Cultural Revolution.
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Sun Chunlan was then transferred to the Anshan Textiles Factory to work as a manager in 1977, working there until 1988.
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In 1990, Sun Chunlan was transferred to work in the organs reporting directly to the provincial party leadership, paving the way for further career advancement.
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Sun Chunlan became the deputy head of the Workers' Union of Liaoning in 1991, and the head of the Women's Association of Liaoning in 1993.
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In 1997, Sun Chunlan was named deputy party secretary of Liaoning and president of the provincial party school.
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Sun Chunlan was then confirmed as party secretary of Dalian with party committee members unanimously confirming her nomination.
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Sun Chunlan served in the post from 2001 to 2005, before being transferred to work in Beijing.
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Sun Chunlan was named the Vice Chair of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions at the Third Session of the 14th ACFTU Executive Committee, and then the First Secretary of the ACFTU Secretariat at the Eighth Session of the 14th ACFTU Presidium In December 2005.
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Provincial party chief positions are of special significance and are some of the most powerful positions of the land; that Sun Chunlan assumed a bona fide "power position" was not only rare for a woman, but made her well positioned for further advancement.
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Sun Chunlan additionally became the first female party chief of a direct-controlled municipality in party history.
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Sun Chunlan was the first United Front chief to hold a concurrent Politburo seat since Ding Guangen.
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Since Sun Chunlan ascended to the United Front chief position, Xi Jinping has taken on a new datongzhan strategy for United Front work, expanding the scope of the United Front Work Department.
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In 2015, Wang Zhengwei, Vice-Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, was named deputy head of the department, assisting Sun Chunlan, creating a unique situation where two of the top leaders of the United Front were held by "deputy national leader" ranked figures.
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Sun Chunlan is a member of the 19th Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party.
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Sun Chunlan was an alternate of the 15th and 16th Central Committees of the Chinese Communist Party, and a full member of the 17th, 18th and 19th Central Committees.
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In October 2017, after the 19th Party Congress, Sun Chunlan was reappointed as a member of the Politburo.
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In March 2018, Sun Chunlan was appointed as the Vice Premier of China.
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Sun Chunlan was awarded the Gold Olympic Order after the 2022 Winter Olympics for her responsibility for the anti-COVID management of the Olympic Winter Games.
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Sun Chunlan retired from Politburo after 20th Party Congress, and as Vice Premier in March 2023.
24.
On 9 November 2023, Sun Chunlan became the president of the International Confucian Association.