Hu Jintao | |
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胡锦涛 | |
![]() Hu in 2012 | |
General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party | |
In office 15 November 2002 – 15 November 2012 | |
Preceded by | Jiang Zemin |
Succeeded by | Xi Jinping |
President of China | |
In office 15 March 2003 – 14 March 2013 | |
Premier | Wen Jiabao |
Vice President |
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Preceded by | Jiang Zemin |
Succeeded by | Xi Jinping |
Chairman of the Central Military Commission | |
In office
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Deputy |
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Preceded by | Jiang Zemin |
Succeeded by | Xi Jinping |
First-ranked Secretary of the Secretariat of the Chinese Communist Party | |
In office 19 October 1992 – 15 November 2002 | |
General Secretary | Jiang Zemin |
Preceded by | Qiao Shi |
Succeeded by | Zeng Qinghong |
Vice President of China | |
In office 15 March 1998 – 15 March 2003 | |
President | Jiang Zemin |
Preceded by | Rong Yiren |
Succeeded by | Zeng Qinghong |
Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission | |
In office
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Chairman | Jiang Zemin |
Communist Party Secretary of Tibet | |
In office 1 December 1988 – 1 December 1992 | |
General Secretary |
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Preceded by | Wu Jinghua |
Succeeded by | Chen Kuiyuan |
Communist Party Secretary of Guizhou | |
In office 8 July 1985 – 1 December 1988 | |
General Secretary |
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Preceded by | Zhu Houze |
Succeeded by | Liu Zhengwei |
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In office 14 December 1984 – 8 July 1985 | |
General Secretary | Hu Yaobang |
Preceded by | Wang Zhaoguo |
Succeeded by | Song Defu |
Personal details | |
Born | Taizhou, Jiangsu, Wang Jingwei regime | 21 December 1942
Political party | Communist Party of China |
Spouse | Liu Yongqing |
Alma mater | Tsinghua University (BS) |
Profession | Hydraulic engineer |
Signature | ![]() |
Central institution membership
Other offices held
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Hu Jintao | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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![]() "Hu Jintao" in Simplified (top) and Traditional (bottom) Chinese characters | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 胡锦涛 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Traditional Chinese | 胡錦濤 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Hu Jintao[a] (born 21 December 1942) is a Chinese retired politician who served as the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 2002 to 2012, the president of China from 2003 to 2013, and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) from 2004 to 2012. He was a member of the CCP Politburo Standing Committee, China's de facto top decision-making body, from 1992 to 2012. Hu was the fifth paramount leader of China from 2002 to 2012.[b]
Hu rose to power through the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), notably as Party Committee secretary for Guizhou province and the Tibet Autonomous Region, where his harsh repression of dissent gained him attention from the highest levels. He moved up to first secretary of the CCP Central Secretariat and vice president under CCP general secretary Jiang Zemin. Hu was the first leader of the Communist Party from a generation younger than those who participated in the civil war and the founding of the republic. Influential sponsors from the older generation promoted his rapid rise, including Song Ping, Hu Yaobang, Deng Xiaoping, and Jiang Zemin.[1]
During his term in office, Hu reintroduced state control in some sectors of the economy that were relaxed by the previous administration, and was conservative with political reforms. Along with his colleague Chinese premier Wen Jiabao, Hu presided over nearly a decade of consistent economic growth and development that cemented China as a major world power. He sought to improve socio-economic equality domestically through the Scientific Outlook on Development, which aimed to build a "Harmonious Socialist Society" that was prosperous and free of social conflict. Under his leadership, the authorities also cracked down on social disturbances, ethnic minority protests, and dissident figures, which also led to many controversial events such as the unrest in Tibet and the passing of the Anti-Secession Law. In foreign policy, Hu advocated for China's peaceful rise, pursuing soft power in international relations and a corporate approach to diplomacy. Throughout Hu's tenure, China's influence in Africa, Latin America, and other developing regions increased.
Hu possessed a modest and reserved leadership style. His tenure was characterized by collective leadership and consensus-based rule.[2] These traits made Hu a rather enigmatic figure in the public eye. His administration was known for its focus more on technocratic competence than persona.[3] At the end of his tenure after ten years in office, Hu won praise for retiring voluntarily from all positions. He was succeeded by Xi Jinping. Following the death of his predecessor Jiang Zemin, Hu is the only living former paramount leader of the People's Republic of China.
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