Wan Gang, a non-Communist party member, has been appointed as
the country's new minister of science and technology.
Wan, a member of the China Zhi Gong (Public Interest) Party,
replaces 65-year-old Xu Guanhua, becoming the only current
non-Communist party minister in China's State Council.
This is a notable move in China's political arena after top leader
Hu Jintao urged the country's other political parties to play an
active role in pushing the reform and opening-up drive.
In the 1950s a number of non-Communist members were appointed
ministers in the country's cabinet but they were soon dismissed
during the "anti-rightest" movement.
Wan is vice chairman of the Central Committee of the Zhi Gong
Party, a non-Communist political party with more than 15,600
members.
In 1991, Mr. Wan
began to work in German Audi Corporation, in charge of computer
virtualization of automobile in the R&D Department. Soon he
originated a distinctive auto-developing system for the company. In
1996, he was promoted to technical manager in production and
technology division, and took charge of informational manufacturing
technology as well as management. His leadership and contribution
in many technological innovations facilitated the production of
Audi A4, car of a new generation, thus winning for the company huge
economic profits. In 1994 and 1995, he was consecutively invited as
guest professor and doctoral student supervisor of Technical
University Clausthal and of Tongji University. Under his
instruction, his German doctoral candidates successfully carried
out a researching project on fuel cell and they filled the blank of
this field then and there.