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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 GUANGZHOU 000400 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
STATE FOR EAP/CM, DRL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PINR CH
SUBJECT: The "Airborne" Leaders in Guangxi 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: The leadership of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region 
has no shortage of "airborne" (kong jiang) officials, as leaders who 
have previously served in Beijing are known, and it has witnessed 
major personnel changes since 2007.  This is due in large part to 
the efforts by the Guangxi government and the central government in 
Beijing to improve the quality of local officials by attracting 
talent from outside Guangxi.  Within Guangxi, Vice Chair Li Kang, 
Vice Chair Lin Nianxiu, Guilin Party Secretary Liu Jun, and Nanning 
Mayor Huang Fangfang are all leaders to watch.  End Summary. 
------------------ 
Leadership Changes 
------------------ 
¶2. (SBU) The slate of "airborne" leaders in Guangxi begins at the 
top.  Guo Shengkun took over as Guangxi's party secretary in 2007. 
He was previously chair of China Aluminum Co. Ltd., a national 
state-owned enterprise.  Guo replaced Liu Qibao, a young official 
with a Communist Youth League background who moved on to the 
position of party secretary of Sichuan Province. 
¶3. (SBU) In addition to the party secretary, Guangxi has three new 
vice chairs of the regional government who previously served in 
positions outside the region.  They include Executive Vice Chair Li 
Jinzao, who arrived in Guangxi in 1994 to serve as vice mayor in 
Guilin Municipality.  Prior to moving to Guilin, he served as a 
division director in Beijing.  After his arrival in Guilin, Li was 
promoted to the positions of Guilin party secretary, Guangxi 
Communist Party of China (CPC) Standing Committee member, and 
executive vice governor.  Vice Chair Chen Zhangliang arrived in 
Guangxi after serving as president of China Agriculture University. 
Chen received his PhD overseas and is not a member of the CPC.  Lin 
Nianxiu, former deputy director of the National Energy Leaders 
Workgroup based in Beijing, is also a relatively new vice chair in 
Guangxi.  Both Lin and Chen arrived in Guangxi in 2007. 
¶4. (SBU) New vice chairs from within Guangxi include Gao Xiong, 
former Guilin party secretary; Li Kang, former director general of 
Guangxi Personnel Department and deputy director general of the 
Organization Department of the Guangxi CPC; and Liang Shengli, 
promoted from the position of assistant chair. 
------------ 
Rising Stars 
------------ 
¶5. (SBU) Because Guangxi is a minority ethnic autonomous region, a 
member of the Zhuang local minority must head the government.  The 
current chair, Ma Biao, is in his first term and is 55 years old. 
He could serve another full five-year term after his current term 
expires in 2012.  Three of the four current Zhuang vice chairs, Chen 
Wu, Lin Daoxi, and Liang Shengli, are approximately the same age as 
Ma and thus are unlikely to succeed him.  The one official who 
stands out as a possible future chair is Li Kang, born in 1957. 
With a Communist Youth League background, she worked in Guangxi 
Nationalities College from 1982 to 1990.  She is also the only 
Zhuang vice chair with alternate membership to the Central CPC 
Committee. 
¶6. (SBU) Among the "airborne" vice chairs, Lin Nianxiu is also a 
promising figure with the potential to reach a senior position in 
Beijing.  A Han born in 1963, Lin previously served in several 
central agencies in Beijing, including the Ministry of Electronic 
Industry (a precursor to the Ministry of Industry and Information 
Technology), the Central Planning Commission, and the State Council. 
 He also twice served in staff positions with director general rank 
working for senior officials in different agencies, including the 
State Council.  Only 44 years old when promoted to the vice 
ministerial position of deputy director of the State Energy Leaders 
Workshop, Lin will strengthen his background in local government 
service through his assignment in Guangxi and reinforce his 
promotion potential. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
Hot Spots for Shining Stars: Guilin and Nanning 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶7. (SBU) Officials in Guilin and Nanning have better odds for 
promotion than officials in other parts of Guangxi.  Many regional 
leadership positions have been filled by principal officials in 
Guilin, such as Yuan Fenglan, former vice chair of the Guangxi 
government and current vice chair of the Guangxi Congress; Li 
Jinzao, current executive vice chair; and Gao Xiong, current vice 
chair.  The current Guilin party secretary is Liu Jun, born in 1957. 
 With central government experience in the Ministry of Forestry 
(precursor of the State Forestry Administration) and Guangxi 
experience as vice mayor of Wuzhou, mayor of Beihai and director 
general of the Guangxi Administration of Industry and Commerce, Liu 
has a strong chance of becoming a vice chair in the next term of 
 
GUANGZHOU 00000400  002 OF 002 
 
 
government, due to begin in 2013. 
¶8. (SBU) Nanning officials are also likely targets for promotion in 
the next term.  The current chair, Ma Biao, was the former party 
secretary of Nanning.  The current Nanning mayor, Huang Fangfang, is 
a Zhuang born in 1958.  His educational background in mineral 
exploration and work experience are similar to that of Guangxi Party 
Secretary Guo Shengkun.  Huang's boss, the current Nanning party 
secretary, Che Rongfu, is already 58 years old.  Huang stands a good 
chance of replacing Che in two years after Che's retirement and then 
moving into a higher position in 2013. 
---------------------- 
Filling the Talent Gap 
---------------------- 
¶9. (SBU) The Guangxi government has been aggressive in its efforts 
to attract talented officials from outside the autonomous region to 
serve in different levels of the administration.  A division 
director from the Guangxi Investment Promotion Bureau told us that 
in recent years, Guangxi had organized several public selections to 
fill senior positions up to the rank of deputy director general.  In 
the most recent public selection, the government reserved the deputy 
director general positions for outsiders only. 
JACOBSEN