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Xi mourns Liu Yandong, rare woman official among China's Communist elite

By · Published by Everything Blog

In short

The former vice-premier passed away on October 28 at the age of 80 following an illness, prompting top leaders to pay their respects at a memorial in Beijing. During her decade-long tenure on the ruling council, she oversaw extensive domestic sectors ranging from culture to women's issues before stepping down from government in 2018. State media officially recognized her dedication by bestowing the title of a loyal Communist fighter. On the international stage, she played a prominent role in U.S.-China diplomacy through bilateral people-to-people initiatives with American counterparts.

Key points

  • The former leader stood out historically as one of only six women ever named to the Commu…: The former leader stood out historically as one of only six women ever named to the Communist Party's 25-member Politburo.
  • Her extensive domestic leadership encompassed education, health, science, culture, sport,…: Her extensive domestic leadership encompassed education, health, science, culture, sport, and women's and children's issues across multiple terms.
  • She engaged in prominent diplomatic outreach, notably meeting with then-U.S. Secretary of…: She engaged in prominent diplomatic outreach, notably meeting with then-U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Washington to expand bilateral exchanges.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

China's Xi mourns Liu Yandong, rare woman official among country's Communist elite

Former Chinese vice-premier Liu Yandong was one of the six women that have been a full member of the 25-member Politburo.

BEIJING: President Xi Jinping attended a "solemn" ceremony in Beijing on Tuesday (Nov 3) to mourn Liu Yandong, one of only a handful of women to have sat on the Chinese Communist Party's elite Politburo, state media reported.

Liu, a former vice-premier, died on Oct 28 "due to illness" in Beijing, according to state news agency Xinhua. She was 80.

In 2007, Liu ascended to the 25-member Politburo at China's 17th Party Congress.

She was one of six women that have been a full member of the top policymaking body, which today is all men.

She held that seat until 2017 when she retired from the Politburo, though she remained a vice-premier until 2018.

Liu graduated from Beijing’s prestigious Tsinghua University where she was associated with former Chinese leader Hu Jintao.

During her political career she oversaw health, education, science, culture and sport, as well as women's…

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