Wu Yi ( 吴仪 ) , female, 63, Han nationality, is a member of Politburo of the 16th CPC Central Committee, vice-premier of the State Council, and Minister of Health of P. R. China.

Wu Yi ( 吴仪 ) was born in November, 1938 in Wuhan City ( 武汉市 ), Hubei Province ( 湖北省 ), P. R. China. In April of 1962, she joined the Communist Party of China ( 中国共产党 ). She graduated from the Petroleum Refinery department at the Beijing Petroleum Institute ( 北京石油学院 ), with a degree in petroleum engineering in August, 1962. As a university graduate, Wu Yi (吴仪) got the title of Senior Engineer. She spent much of her career as a petroleum technician, eventually becoming deputy manager at the Beijing Dongfang Hong refinery ( 北京东方红炼油厂 ), and assistant manager and Party secretary at the Beijing Yanshan Petrochemical Corporation ( 北京燕山石化公司 ).

Wu Yi ( 吴仪 ) was elected deputy mayor of Beijing in 1988, and held that office until 1991. Following the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, she persuaded coal-workers threatening to go on strike to continue working after some of their colleagues had been killed. From 1991 until 1998, she held successively the posts of Deputy Minister of Foreign Economic Relations and Trade ( 外经贸部副部长 ), Minister of International Trade and Economic Cooperation ( 国际经贸合作部部长 ), and member of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth CPC Central Committees ( 中国共产党中央委员会委员 ). A protegee of Zhu Rongji ( 朱熔基 ), Wu Yi ( 吴仪 ) became a state councillor in 1998, and was appointed vice-premier of the State Council in March 2003. She helped negotiate the P. R. China's entry into the World Trade Organization and reorganized the customs service after U.S. complaints over the widespread violation of intellectual property rights.

During the SARS crisis, Wu Yi ( 吴仪 ) replaced Zhang Wenkang ( 张文康 ), who had been fired over the cover-up, as health minister and headed a committee to solve the crisis. She was called the "goddess of transparency" by Time magazine for her leadership during the SARS crisis and named one of Time's 100 Most Influential People of 2004. In the middle of the SARS endemic, Wu fiercely snubbed the advocation for Republic of China's WHO participation during the WHO general assembly. One video clip spread widely in Taiwan showed Wu and her official company refusing to answer the question of Taiwan's representation during interview by a Taiwanese reporter.

Called by some Chinese media as the "iron lady of China", Wu Yi ( 吴仪 ) is regarded as a firm and direct woman, who, unlike her colleagues, hasn't dyed her graying hair black. Wu Yi ( 吴仪 ) remains unmarried. Since becoming Vice-premier, Wu has been an able diplomat in signing agreements with neighboring Asian countries.

Career Data of Wu Yi ( 吴仪 ):

1956 - 1962: Student, Beijing Petroleum Institute, Northwest Polytechnic Institute and Oil Refinery Department, National Defense Department, Beijing Municipality (Majored in oil refinery engineering.)

1962: Joined, CPC

1962 - 1965: Technician of Workshop, Lanzhou Oil Refinery

1962 - 1965: Staff Member, Lanzhou Oil Refinery, Political Department

1965 - 1967: Technician, Ministry of Petroleum Industry, Production and Technology Department, Production Division

1967 - 1983: Technician, Deputy Chief, Chief, Beijing Dongfanghong Refinery, Technology Section

1967 - 1983: Deputy Chief Engineer and Deputy Director, Beijing Dongfanghong Refinery

1983 - 1988: Deputy General Manager, Yanshan Petrochemical Corporation

1983 - 1988: Secretary, CPC, Party Committee, Yanshan Petrochemical Corporation

1987 - 1992: Alternate Member, 13th CPC, Central Committee

1988 - 1991: Vice-Mayor, BeijingMunicipality

1991 - 1993: Vice-Minister, Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation

1991 - 1993: Deputy Secretary, CPC, Leading Party Group, Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation

1992 - 1997: Member, 14th CPC, Central Committee

1993 - 1998: Minister, Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation

1993 - 1998: Secretary, CPC, Leading Party Group, Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation

1997 - 2002: Member, 15th CPC, Central Committee

1997 - 2002: Alternate Member, 15th CPC, Central Committee, Politburo

1998 - 2003: State Councilor, State Council

1998 - : Member, CPC, Leading Party Group, State Council

2002 - : Member, 16th CPC, Central Committee

2002 - : Member, 16th CPC, Central Committee, Politburo

2003 - 2005: Minister, Ministry of Health

2003 - : Vice-Premier, State Council