The following is the biographical sketch of Bo Xilai:

Bo Xilai, male, ethnic Han, native of Dingxiang, Shanxi Province, born in July 1949. Joined the CPC in October 1980 and began working in January 1968. Graduated from the Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, majoring in international journalism. Master of Arts.

Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, Minister of Commerce and Secretary of the Leading Party Members' Group in the Ministry of Commerce.

1968-1972 Did manual labor in a "study class" during the "cultural revolution"

1972-1978 Worker of the Hardware and Machine Repair Plant under Beijing Second Light Industry Bureau

1978-1979 Undergraduate student majoring in world history at the Department of History of Peking University

1979-1982 Postgraduate student majoring in international journalism at the Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

1982-1984 Staff member of the Research Office of the Secretariat and of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee

1984-1988 Served successively as deputy secretary and secretary of the CPC Committee of Jinxian County, Liaoning Province, and secretary of the CPC Committee of Jinzhou District of Dalian City (1985-1988: concurrently as deputy secretary and secretary, of Party Committee of Dalian Economic and Technological Development Area)

1988-1989 Member of the Standing Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Dalian Municipal Committee, Liaoning Province

1989-1992 Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Dalian Municipal Committee of Liaoning Province and vice mayor of Dalian City

1992-1993 Deputy secretary of the CPC Dalian Municipal Committee of Liaoning Province and acting mayor of Dalian City

1993-1999 Deputy secretary of the CPC Dalian Municipal Committee of Liaoning Province and mayor of Dalian City

1999-2000 Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Liaoning Provincial Committee, secretary of the CPC Dalian Municipal Committee and mayor of Dalian City

2000-2001 Deputy secretary of the CPC Liaoning Provincial Committee and acting governor of Liaoning Province

2001-2004 Deputy secretary of the CPC Liaoning Provincial Committee and governor of Liaoning Province

2004-2007 Minister of Commerce, deputy secretary and then secretary of the Leading Party Members' Group of the Ministry of Commerce

2007- Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, and Minister of Commerce and secretary of the Leading Party Members' Group of the Ministry of Commerce

Member of the Sixteenth and Seventeenth CPC Central Committees. Member of the Political Bureau of the Seventeenth CPC Central Committee.

(Xinhua News Agency October 22, 2007)