Gao Hucheng

Gao Hucheng (Chinese: 高虎城; born August 1951) is a retired Chinese politician and business executive. Between 2013 and 2017, he served as the Commerce Minister of the People's Republic of China. Previously, he was Vice Minister of Commerce and Vice Chairman of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.[1][2][3] Gao holds a doctoral degree in sociology from the University of Paris VII and is fluent in French.[4]

This is a Chinese name; the family name is Gao.

Gao Hucheng
高虎城
Minister of Commerce
In office March 2013 – March 2017
Premier	Li Keqiang
Preceded by	Chen Deming
Succeeded by	Zhong Shan
Personal details
Born	August 1951 (age 68–69) Shuo County, Shanxi
Political party	Communist Party of China
Alma mater	Beijing Second Foreign Languages Institute National University of Zaire University of Paris VII

Career

Education and industry

Gao Hucheng was born in Shuo County (now Shuozhou city), Shanxi province in 1951.[2][3] At age 17 he was sent to work at a village in Hebei province, and later at a cement factory in Datong, Shanxi.[1][5]

In 1972 Gao was chosen to study French at the Beijing Second Foreign Languages Institute, and in 1975 he went abroad to study at the National University of Zaire in Kinshasa, capital of Zaire (now known as Democratic Republic of Congo). From 1977 to 1980 Gao worked for the Chinese embassy in Zaire as a commercial officer.[1][4][5]

In 1980 Gao Hucheng joined China National Machinery and Equipment Import and Export Corporation (CNMEIEC), and two years later was appointed deputy general manager of the company's France office in Paris. He spent the next five years in France, during which time he enrolled at the University of Paris VII, earning a doctorate in sociology in 1985. In 1987 Gao joined the Communist Party of China. From 1989 to 1990 he was the chief of the financial department of CNMEIEC, and was from 1992 to 1994 the deputy general manager of China National Resources Corporation.[1][2][3]

Government

In 1994 Gao was appointed head of the Planning and Finance Department of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation (MOFTEC), a predecessor of the Ministry of Commerce, and promoted to assistant minister in 1997, a job he held for the next five years.[1][2][3]

In 2002 Gao was transferred from the central government to Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, where he served as Vice Chairman (governor). Only a year later, he returned to the reorganized MOFTEC, now called Ministry of Commerce, as Vice Minister. He stayed in the position for 10 years, and concurrently served as China's International Trade Negotiation Representative from 2010 to 2013. At the 12th National People's Congress of March 2013, Gao was appointed Minister of Commerce in the cabinet of Premier Li Keqiang, replacing the outgoing minister Chen Deming.[1][2] Gao left his post as Minister of Commerce in 2017.[3]

Gao was a full member of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.[1][2][3]

References

1. "Gao Hucheng". China Vitae. Retrieved 2013-05-12.
2. 高虎城 [Gao Hucheng] (in Chinese). Xinhua News Agency. Retrieved 2013-05-12.
3. 高虎城简历 [Biography of Gao Hucheng] (in Chinese). People's Daily. Retrieved 2013-05-12.
4. Ruan, Victoria (17 March 2013). "Rare pick from within as Gao Hucheng gets key economic job". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
5. "Commerce Minister Gao Hucheng". US-China Business Council. Archived from the original on 2013-06-24. Retrieved 2013-05-13.

Government offices
Preceded by Chen Deming	Minister of Commerce 2013–2017	Succeeded by Zhong Shan