Yuan Jiajun

Early life and education

Yuan was born in Tonghua, Jilin. In September 1980, Yuan graduated from Beijing Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, majoring in aircraft design and applied mechanics. In July 1984 he joined the Ministry of Aerospace Industry. After graduation, he worked as a graduate research student. He studied abroad at the German Aerospace Center.

Aerospace career

Yuan returned to China in August 1990 to work for the "501 office". He ascended the ranks of the ministry steadily, taking on increasingly senior administrative roles. In April 2000, he was named commander of the Shenzhou crewed spaceflight program. During his command, Shenzhou spaceships were launched successfully. Until 2003, he headed the Shenzhou projects 2 to 5.^[1] Thereafter he gained a doctorate from his alma mater, now renamed Beihang University. Yuan became vice-president of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation in November 2007, and became involved in the Lunar Mission and the joint Chinese-Russian mission to explore Mars. Yuan has received numerous awards for his work in the Chinese Space Program.

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Political career

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Perspective

He became involved in politics in 2012, joining the party standing committee in Ningxia, and becoming vice chairman of Ningxia in 2013, and overseeing the operations of the Ningdong Energy and Chemical Operations Industry Base (宁东能源化工基地).^[1]

Yuan was an alternate of the 17th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, and a full member of the 19th Central Committee.

Zhejiang

In August 2014, Yuan was named a party standing committee member of the prosperous coastal Zhejiang province, then assumed the post of executive vice governor, in charge of police, religion, tax collection and national security.^[1]^[2] He also became the contact person for the provincial People's Liberation Army and People's Armed Police.^[1] In November 2016, Yuan was named deputy party chief of Zhejiang and head of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission of Zhejiang.^[3] In April 2017, Yuan was appointed as acting governor of Zhejiang; he was confirmed on July 7.^[4] In 2018, he headed an inquiry committee over public protests due to the results of English language test in Gaokao; the committee concluded in December that the Zhejiang Education Department made a "wrong policy decision", distorting many students' scores.^[5]

On 31 August 2020, Yuan was appointed as the CCP Secretary of Zhejiang.^[6] In December 2020, Yuan chaired a meeting of the Zhejiang Provincial CCP Standing Committee which discussed directives by the central CCP leadership to break up monopolies and control expansion of capital while "promoting healthy and regulated development of the platform economy".^[7] In April 2021, Yuan chaired another meeting of the Standing Committee, which pledged to "supervise and guide" the platform economy, including Alibaba Group. It also pledged to "promote the health and regulated development" of the platform economy.^[8]

Chongqing

After the 20th Party Congress in October 2022, Yuan became a member of the CCP Politburo. On 8 December 2022, Yuan was appointed as the CCP Secretary of Chongqing, succeeding Chen Min'er.^[9]

He met with Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu in May 2023, where both cities pledged to increase cooperation in several areas.^[10] In August 2023, Yuan met with members of US General Joseph Stilwell's family for the 140th anniversary of his birth, saying he hoped to take the visit as an opportunity to "better promote people-to-people exchanges between China and the United States and contribute to the development of China-US relations".^[11]