Wen Jiabao

Premier of the People's Republic of China

15 September 1942 Tianjin, Republic of China

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15 March 2003 – 15 March 2013

Retired Chinese politician For the footballer, see Wen Jiabao (footballer). In this Chinese name, the family name is Wēn (温) . Wen Jiabao温家宝 Premier of the People's Republic of ChinaIn office 15 March 2003 – 15 March 2013Vice Premier Cabinet I (2003–08) Huang Ju Wu Yi Zeng Peiyan Hui Liangyu Cabinet II (2008–13) Li Keqiang Hui Liangyu Zhang Dejiang Wang Qishan LeaderHu Jintao (Paramount leader)Preceded by Zhu RongjiSucceeded by Li KeqiangVice Premier of the People's Republic of ChinaIn office 18 March 1998 – 14 March 2003Serving with Li Lanqing, Qian Qichen, Wu BangguoPremierZhu RongjiPreceded by Li LanqingSucceeded by Hui LiangyuDirector of the General Office of the Communist Party of ChinaIn office April 1986 – March 1993General Secretary Hu Yaobang Zhao Ziyang Jiang ZeminPreceded by Wang ZhaoguoSucceeded by Zeng Qinghong Personal detailsBorn (1942-09-15 ) 15 September 1942 (age 78) Tianjin, Republic of ChinaPolitical partyCommunist Party of China (1965-Present)Spouse(s)Zhang PeiliChildrenWen Yunsong Wen Ruchun (Lily Chang)Alma materBeijing Institute of Geology Wen Jiabao"Wen Jiabao" in Simplified (top) and Traditional (bottom) Chinese charactersSimplified Chinese温家宝 Traditional Chinese溫家寶 TranscriptionsStandard MandarinHanyu PinyinWēn Jiābǎo Wade–GilesWen1 Chia1-pao3 IPA Yue: CantoneseYale RomanizationWān Gāa-bóu JyutpingWan1 Gaa1-bou2 IPA Southern MinHokkien POJUn Ka-pó Wen Jiabao (born 15 September 1942) is a retired Chinese politician who served as the sixth Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China and serving as China's head of government for a decade between 2003 and 2013. In his capacity as Premier, Wen was regarded as the leading figure behind Beijing's economic policy. From 2002 to 2012, he held membership in the Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China, the country's de facto top power organ, where he was ranked third out of nine members and headed by Party general secretary Hu Jintao. He worked as the chief of the Party General Office between 1986 and 1993, and accompanied Party general secretary Zhao Ziyang to Tiananmen Square during the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. In 1998, he was promoted to the post of Vice Premier under Premier Zhu Rongji, his mentor, and oversaw the broad portfolios of agriculture and finance. Wen was dubbed "the people's premier" by both domestic and foreign media. Instead of concentrating on GDP growth in large cities and rich coastal areas, Wen advocated for advancing policies considered more favourable towards farmers and migrant workers. Wen's government reduced agricultural taxes and pursued ambitious infrastructure projects. Following the global financial crisis of 2008, Wen's government injected four trillion yuan into the economy as part of a stimulus program. Seen as the leading member of the reform wing of the Communist Party, Wen's family came under scrutiny by investigative journalists for having accumulated a massive fortune during his time in government, casting a cloud over his legacy shortly prior to his retirement. He left office in 2013 and was succeeded by Li Keqiang.