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On June 6, Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin met with Wang Yang, Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) via videoconference.

Besides Tan, three members of the Singapore-China Parliamentary Friendship Group — Henry Kwek, Tin Pei Ling, and Poh Li San — met with Wang.

According to his Facebook post on Monday (June 6), in which he said it was his first time meeting Wang, Tan said both sides discussed the maintenance of bilateral ties between China and Singapore during the Covid-19 pandemic, economic ties, and Singapore-China ties.

Tan further said both countries are "steadfast partners" which have evolved to take into consideration each other's “priorities and capabilities”. He also acknowledged that the two countries are different, and they both "need to understand the context of [their] respective countries".

Nevertheless, the two countries share the same desire to "make a positive difference to the lives of [their] people", he added.

Who is Wang Yang?

Wang Yang has been chairman of the CPPCC since 2018.

Since 2017, he has been a member of China's top decision making body -- the Politburo Standing Committee (PSC) -- making him one the 7 most prominent political figures in China, which include Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang.

In a New York Times profile published in 2012, the then up and coming Wang was described as a market reformer, a “torchbearer for advocates of free-market economics and quasi-enlightened governance”. This would contrast him with his successor as the Municipal Party Secretary of Chongqing, the now disgraced Bo Xilai, who often advocated more populist and traditionally Marxist policies.

After his posting in Chongqing, Wang would go on to be the Party Secretary for the province of Guangdong between 2007 and 2012, and then vice-premier of China under Li Keqiang from 2013 to 2018. He has been a member of the Politburo, a body that supports the PSC, since 2007.

Having been appointed to the Standing Committee in 2017, it is expected that he will continue in the role after the 20th Party Congress, to be held before the end of 2022.

What is the CPPCC?

The CPPCC is an advisory body for the NPC. It has no decision-making powers. Its purpose is to provide expertise, comment, or suggestions on major issues affecting China.

As described by Xinhua, the CPPCC’s members are drawn from “China’s various walks of life and ethnic groups”. They can be experts, scholars, athletes, celebrities, as well as businesspeople.

They are from mainland China, the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau, and even overseas Chinese with foreign nationalities. Unlike regular CPPCC members, however, they can't vote.

Notable members include Hong Kong actor Jackie Chan, Malaysian tycoon Robert Kuok, and former basketball star Yao Ming.

Through these inclusions and the broader work the CPPCC does in liaising between the various groups in Chinese society, the body is a major component of China’s united front strategy, a means through which China promotes its interests.

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Top image by Parliament Secretariat via Tan Chuan-Jin/Facebook