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FM AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU
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RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC 0023

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 GUANGZHOU 000677 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/CM, INR/B 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PINR ECON SOCI SCUL CH TW
SUBJECT: Female Official Named New Fujian Party Secretary 
 
GUANGZHOU 00000677  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
(U) This document is sensitive but unclassified.  Please protect 
accordingly.  Not for release outside U.S. government channels.  Not 
for internet publication. 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary and comment: Twenty-five years since the last woman 
was appointed to a provincial party secretary position, the Chinese 
central government has named Sun Chunlan as the new Party Secretary 
of Fujian Province.  Sun's appointment suggests a further expansion 
of President Hu Jintao's influence and a greater political focus on 
cross-strait relations with Taiwan.  End summary and comment. 
 
Woman Leader Steps into Limelight 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) Sun Chunlan, former vice chairwoman and party secretary of 
the All China Federation of Trade Union (ACFTU), was promoted to 
Party Secretary of Fujian Province on November 30, 2009.  She is the 
only woman currently holding a provincial party secretary position 
and only the third woman to be given such a title since 1949.  The 
last such appointment was nearly 25 years ago.  An online 
commentator stated that as a woman, she is proud of Sun's work and 
hopes that she will lead Fujian to a brighter future. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Comment: Sun's appointment is part of a larger mid-term 
shuffling of provincial leaders by the Chinese central government 
since the 17th Party Congress, indicating the start of strategic 
maneuverings in preparation for the 18th Party Congress in 2012 when 
China's fifth generation leaders are expected to take the reins. 
Reportedly part of the Tuanpai faction with Communist Youth League 
(CYL) background -- Hu's power base -- Sun's appointment signals 
further consolidation of Hu's power and his influence over China's 
current and future leadership.  Currently 59 years-old, Sun may 
continue to serve as Fujian's Party Secretary after the next Party 
Congress before hitting the retirement age of 65.  If Politburo 
Member and State Councilor Liu Yandong -- China's most senior female 
official -- retires in 2012 and the leadership desires to replace 
Liu with another woman, there might be an opportunity for Sun to be 
elevated to the Politburo, where officials are permitted to serve 
until age 67.  End comment. 
 
¶4. (SBU) In spite of Sun's apparent Tuanpai links, she is also said 
to have developed amicable working relations with the "princelings," 
leaders who owe their power largely to family connections. 
Specifically, Sun and Chongqing Party Secretary Bo Xilai served 
together for many years in Liaoning and reportedly worked well 
together.  Internet commentators speculated that her appointment as 
Fujian Party Secretary owed partially to her ability to balance the 
two factions. 
 
Western Strait Economic Development Plan a Priority 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
¶5. (SBU) Sun likely will focus on Fujian's top development priority 
-- implementation of the "Western Strait Economic Development Plan" 
and relations with Taiwan.  However, some have expressed concerns 
about her relative lack of economic experience.  Some online 
political commentators stated that the Western Strait Economic 
Development Plan will only become a slogan under Sun's leadership 
and that they don't expect Fujian to achieve any economic goals in 
the near future.  Other online commentators suggested that her 
political background is only useful in eliminating any instability 
in the province. 
 
Labor Paves the Way for Sun 
---------------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) Having served both in the All China Women's Federation and 
the ACFTU, Sun comes to Fujian with a strong labor background. 
(Comment: Ties with the ACFTU are not rare for Fujian's leaders; 
former Fujian Party Secretary Lu Zhan Gong worked for the ACFTU 
before coming to Fujian, and Sun's former ACFTU boss, Wang Zhaoguo, 
was Fujian Party Secretary before heading the ACFTU.  End comment.) 
As vice chairwoman of the Liaoning ACFTU from 1991 to 1993, a 
challenging period for China's state-owned enterprise reforms, Sun's 
work ultimately elevated her to chairwoman of the organization in 
¶1995.  Sun was also rumored in the Chinese press to be responsible 
for the drafting of China's Labor Contract Law, which became 
effective in January 2008. 
 
 
GUANGZHOU 00000677  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
Biographic Data 
--------------- 
 
¶7. (U) Sun Chunlan, born in 1950, is a native of Raoyang, Hebei 
Province.  She joined the Communist Party of China (CPC) in May 1973 
and was educated at the CPC Central Party School.  In her first job 
at a watch factory in Anshan City, Liaoning Province during the 
height of the Cultural Revolution, Sun quickly moved into a CYL 
leadership position after just five years.  At 24, she was promoted 
to be party secretary of the CYL at the Anshan Light Industry 
Bureau.  Beginning in 1988, she served as director of Anshan's 
Women's Federation.  From 1991 to 1993, Sun was vice chairwoman of 
the Liaoning ACFTU and became chairwoman two years later. 
 
¶8. (U) In 1995, Sun began her political ascent, adding member of the 
Standing Committee of the Liaoning CPC committee to her many roles. 
Within ten years, she moved through the ranks as President of the 
Liaoning Provincial CPC Party School, Party Secretary of Dalian, and 
Deputy Secretary of the Liaoning CPC Committee.  In this last 
position, she was deputy to then Liaoning Party Secretary and 
current Vice Premier Li Keqiang.  From the 2005 to 2009, Sun served 
as Vice President and Party Secretary of the national-level ACFTU. 
 
GOLDBECK