Guo Dongpo

Guo was born into a family of farming background in the town of Yiling, Jiangdu County (now Jiangdu District of Yangzhou), Jiangsu, in August 1937. He secondary studied at the Yangzhou High School of Jiangsu Province. In 1958, he entered Beijing Institute of Foreign Trade (now University of International Business and Economics), majoring in international trade. He stayed and worked at the university after graduation.

Guo joined the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in May 1960. Starting in 1972, he served in several posts in the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, where he was eventually promoted to president in June 1995. He was appointed president of the Xinhua News Agency Macao Branch in 1990, concurrently serving as deputy director of the Macao Basic Law Drafting Committee. He became director of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office in August 1997, serving in the post until his retirement in December 2002.[2] In March 2003, he was chosen as chairperson of the Liaison with Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and Overseas Chinese Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.[3]