Veteran journalist named new spokesman of China's top meeting of political advisors

 

Wang Guoqing, new spokesman of China's top meeting of political advisors. [Photo by Zou Hong/China Daily]

A veteran journalist with long experience in international publicity will debut as the spokesman of China's top meeting of political advisors.

Wang Guoqing, 63, has been appointed the 14th spokesperson for the CPPCC annual session since the first news conference of the "two sessions" was held in 1983.

"Two Sessions" are the annual meetings of the National People's Congress (NPC), the country's top legislature, and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), a meeting of political advisors including members of Communist Party of China, non-Communist parties and personages without party affiliation.

Wang graduated in English major from Shanghai International Studies University in the 1970s.

From 1978 to 2000, Wang worked for China Radio International, the State-owned international radio broadcaster, serving as chief correspondent in Washington, and head of the English department successively.

Since 2000, Wang worked in country's top publicity agencies, the State Council Information Office and the Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. In 2013, he became vice-chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Committee of the CPPCC.

As the first major event of the two sessions, the press conference will be under the spotlight of journalists. Some of the more than 3,200 journalists, including 1,000 foreign correspondents, registered for this year's two sessions will attend the news conference.

Wang will brief journalists on this year's CPPCC session and take questions at the event.

He admitted that being spokesman of CPPCC is "no easy job".

CPPCC members are from all walks of life and ethnic groups, the nine special committees under the CPPCC National Committee cover different areas including politics, culture and economics, which means the spokesman has to do a lot of preparation to understand each issue, said Wang.

Wang said during his preparation for the press conference, he collected more than 1,400 questions and consulted more than 60 government departments.

The press conference of the CPPCC will be held at the Great Hall of the People on Wednesday afternoon. The CPPCC session will open on Thursday, two days before the start of the NPC session.