Hu Jintao

Hu Jintao
胡锦涛
Hu in 2011
General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party
In office 15 November 2002 – 15 November 2012
Preceded by	Jiang Zemin
Succeeded by	Xi Jinping
6th President of the People's Republic of China
In office 15 March 2003 – 14 March 2013
Premier	Wen Jiabao
Vice President	Zeng Qinghong Xi Jinping
Preceded by	Jiang Zemin
Succeeded by	Xi Jinping
Chairman of the Central Military Commission
In office Party Commission: 19 September 2004 – 15 November 2012 State Commission: 13 March 2005 – 14 March 2013
Deputy	Xi Jinping Guo Boxiong Xu Caihou Cao Gangchuan
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 the People's Republic 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 State Commission: 31 October 1999 – 13 March 2005 Party Commission: >22 September 1999 – 19 September 2004
Chairman	Jiang Zemin
Communist Party Secretary of Tibet
In office 1 December 1988 – 1 December 1992
General Secretary	Zhao Ziyang Jiang Zemin
Preceded by	Wu Jinghua
Succeeded by	Chen Kuiyuan
Communist Party Secretary of Guizhou
In office 8 July 1985 – 1 December 1988
General Secretary	Hu Yaobang Zhao Ziyang
Preceded by	Zhu Houze
Succeeded by	Liu Zhengwei
First Secretary of the Communist Youth League of China
In office 14 December 1984 – 8 July 1985
General Secretary	Hu Yaobang
Preceded by	Wang Zhaoguo
Succeeded by	Song Defu
Personal details
Born	(1942-12-21) 21 December 1942 (age 81) Taizhou, Jiangsu, China
Political party	Communist Party of China
Spouse	Liu Yongqing
Alma mater	Tsinghua University (BS)
Profession	Hydraulic engineer
Signature
Hu Jintao's voice Hu Jintao at a White House state dinner
Central institution membership 1992–2012: 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th Politburo Standing Committee 1992–2002: Secretary (first-ranked), 14th, 15th, Central Secretariat 1992–2012: 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th Politburo 1985–2012: 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th Central Committee 1982–1985: 12th Alternate Membership of the Central Committee 1988–2013: 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th National People's Congress Other offices held 1999–2005: Vice Chairman, State Central Military Commission 1999–2004: Vice Chairman, Party Central Military Commission 1998–2003: Vice President of the People's Republic of China 1993–2002: President, Central Party School 1988–1992: Party Committee Secretary, Tibet Autonomous Region 1985–1988: Party Committee Secretary, Guizhou province 1983–1985: First Secretary, Communist Youth League 1983–1985: President, All-China Youth Federation Paramount Leader of the People's Republic of China ← Jiang Zemin Xi Jinping →

This article is part of a series about Hu Jintao
Hu–Wen Administration 2002 election as General Secretary 2007 reelection as General Secretary Tuanpai Policies and theories China's peaceful rise Eight Honors and Eight Shames Harmonious Society Scientific Outlook on Development Key events International trips 2002–2004 SARS outbreak Baoxian campaign Anti-Secession Law 2005 Pan–Blue visits to mainland China 2008 Tibetan unrest 2008 Summer Olympics July 2009 Ürümqi riots
v t e

Hu Jintao
"Hu Jintao" in Simplified (top) and Traditional (bottom) Chinese characters
Simplified Chinese	胡锦涛
Traditional Chinese	胡錦濤
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Hú Jǐntāo Hú Jǐntáo Bopomofo ㄏㄨˊ   ㄐㄧㄣˇ   ㄊㄠ ㄏㄨˊ   ㄐㄧㄣˇ   ㄊㄠˊ Wade–Giles ʻao1 Tongyong Pinyin Hú Jǐn-tao Hú Jǐn-táo IPA [xǔ tɕìn.tʰáʊ] Hakka Romanization Fù Kím-thàu Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Wùh Gám-tòuh Jyutping wu4 gam2 tou4 IPA [wuː˩ kɐm˧˥ tʰou˩] Southern Min Hokkien POJ Ô͘ Gím-tô Tâi-lô Ôo Gím-tô Eastern Min Fuzhou BUC Hù Gīng-dò̤

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 development", 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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