Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, vice premier and member of the Leading Party Member Group of the State Council. Wu Yi, a native of Wuhan, Hubei Province, was born in November 1938. She joined the Communist Party of China (CPC) in April 1962 and began to work in August 1962. She graduated from the Oil Refinery Department of the Beijing Petroleum Institute where she had majored in oil refinery engineering. She is a university graduate and a senior engineer. She is now a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, State Councilor and member of the Leading Party Member Group of the State Council. 1956-1962: Studied at the National Defense Department of the Northwest Polytechnic Institute and the Oil Refinery Department of the Beijing Petroleum Institute, majoring in oil refinery engineering. 1962-1965: Technician of a workshop and staff member of the Political Department of the Lanzhou Oil Refinery. 1965-1967: Technician of the production division, Production and Technology Department of the Ministry of Petroleum Industry. 1967-1983: Technician, deputy chief and chief of the technology section, deputy chief engineer and deputy director of the Beijing Dongfanghong Refinery. 1983-1988: Deputy general manager and Party secretary of the Yanshan Petrochemical Corporation. 1988-1991: Vice mayor of Beijing. 1991-1993: Vice minister of Foreign Economic Relations and Trade, Deputy secretary of the ministry's Leading Party Member Group. 1993-1997: Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation and secretary of the Ministry's Leading Party Member Group. 1997-1998: Alternate member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation and secretary of the Ministry's Leading Party Member Group. 1998-2002: Alternate member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, State Councilor and member of the Leading Party Member Group of the State Council. 2002-2003: Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, State Councilor and member of the Leading Party Member Group of the State Council. 2003-: Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, vice premier and member of the Leading Party Member Group of the State Council. On April 26, 2003, she was appointed to serve a concurrent post of Minister of Health. She was an alternate member of the 13th CPC Central Committee and member of the 14th and 15th CPC Central Committees. She is a member of the 16th CPC Central Committee and its Political Bureau.