The following is the biographical sketch of Zhang Dejiang:

Zhang Dejiang, male, ethnic Han, native of Tai'an, Liaoning Province, born in November 1946. Joined the CPC in January 1971 and began working in November 1968. Graduated from the Department of Economics, Kim Il Sung University, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). With a university education.

Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and secretary of the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee.

1968-1970 Worked as an educated youth sent to the countryside at Taiping Brigade, Luozigou Commune, Wangqing County, Jilin Province

1970-1972 Member of the Publicity Group of Wangqing County Revolutionary Committee, Jilin Province, and secretary of its Communist Youth League branch

1972-1975 Student of Yanbian University majoring in the Korean language

1975-1978 Deputy secretary of the general Party branch committee of the Department of the Korean Language, Yanbian University, member of the standing committee of its Party Committee and vice chairman of its Revolutionary Committee

1978-1980 Student of the Department of Economics of Kim Il Sung University, DPRK and secretary of the CPC branch committee of Chinese students studying at the university

1980-1983 Member of the standing committee of the Party Committee and president of Yanbian University

1983-1985 Deputy secretary of the CPC Committee of Yanji, and concurrently member of the standing committee of the CPC Committee of Yanbian Prefecture, Jilin Province

1985-1986 Deputy secretary of the CPC Committee of Yanbian Prefecture, Jilin Province

1986-1990 Vice Minister of Civil Affairs and deputy secretary of the Leading Party Members' Group of the Ministry of Civil Affairs

1990-1995 Deputy secretary of the CPC Jilin Provincial Committee and concurrently secretary of the CPC Committee of Yanbian Prefecture

1995-1998 Secretary of the CPC Jilin Provincial Committee and chairman of the Standing Committee of the Jilin Provincial People's Congress

1998-2002 Secretary of the CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee

2002- Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, and secretary of the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee

Alternate member of the Fourteenth CPC Central Committee, member of the Fifteenth through Seventeenth CPC Central Committees, and Political Bureau member of the Sixteenth and Seventeenth CPC Central Committees.

(Xinhua News Agency October 22, 2007)