Rebirth: I am in Jin-Cha-Ji

If Bo Shuchun hadn't been influenced by the National Finance and Economics Conference, he would have been a candidate for Vice Premier. It's fair to say that with the arrival of prominent officials from local central bureaus, many central officials have had to adjust their ranks and positions accordingly. Without the recent arrival of officials like Deng Xixian in Beijing, Wei Hongjun's bid to become an alternate member of the Politburo and Vice Premier of the State Council would have taken several years.

Deng Xixian was appointed Vice Premier of the State Council and Vice Chairman of the Planning Commission.

Xi Zhongxun was appointed Minister of Propaganda, Deputy Director of the Culture and Education Committee of the State Council, and Secretary of the Party Leadership Group of the Culture and Education Committee. The previous Minister of Propaganda, Lu Dingyi, had no choice but to relinquish his position, as he was not on the same level as Xi Zhongxun.

Xi Zhongxun was an alternate member of the Central Committee at the Seventh National Congress and the Second Secretary of the Northwest Bureau. He was already a member of the Central Committee after the Third Session of the Seventh Central Committee. In comparison, Lu Dingyi is not even an alternate member of the Central Committee at this point. This change has brought joy to some and disappointment to others.

When faced with local officials moving to Beijing, officials like Wei Hongjun and Li Fuchun, who were both high-ranking and came from powerful local factions, rose to higher positions with them. But for officials like Lu Dingyi, the arrival of powerful local officials in Beijing was seen as unfriendly, and they had to give up their positions.

After all, there are only so many central government positions.

With so many local leaders, both experienced and highly accomplished, it was natural to sacrifice some lower-ranking officials to accommodate them. Some officials were able to become ministers in central government departments because the central government departments were not yet fully developed. However, this does not mean that your rank is the same as that of other ministers.

With the appointments of Deng Xixian and Xi Zhongxun, the daily work of the Secretariat fell to Gao Gang, Peng Zhen, and Rao Shushi. While the Secretariat's power has declined significantly, it remains the central authority responsible for handling the daily work of the Party Central Committee and remains a highly influential department.

At this point, all the bigwigs who came to Beijing this time had their positions arranged. At the same time, there were also some changes in the State Council.

Adjust some cadres.

The workload of the State Council in less than a year has been extremely intense.

The Executive Yuan's less than a year of work in this time and space can be compared to the two or three years of work of the Executive Yuan in history. This was due to the rapid changes in the situation, coupled with the series of agreements reached with the Soviet Union. Originally, the Executive Yuan could have slowly adjusted and improved.

But this time and space does not give you this opportunity at all.

The ministers of the various ministries and commissions under the State Council were overwhelmed with work, many of them physically unable to cope. There was a vast amount of work to be done, and a severe shortage of cadres, with one person doing the work of three. Furthermore, due to the confluence of various issues, conflicts within and outside the Party were far more intense than in history.

It's like a national financial conference.

There have been conflicts and contradictions in history, but none as severe as the one in this time and space. Historically, conflicts over financial issues always erupted during tax reforms. But in this time and space, conflicts erupted before tax reform even began.

Wei Hongjun is only in his thirties, but his body and mind are working at full capacity. In peacetime, he has been working in the office, and his food is much better than in the war years. However, Wei Hongjun's weight has not increased.

On the contrary, it is still declining.

Even someone like Wei Hongjun, who is in his prime, is like this. Some older cadres really cannot withstand such high-intensity work.

Especially cadres who come from democratic backgrounds.

Currently, among the leaders of the State Council’s ministries and commissions, the older cadres are basically those who come from democratic backgrounds.

For example, Vice Premier and Minister of Light Industry Huang Yanpei was 71, Minister of Forestry and Reclamation Liang Xi was 65, and Minister of Agriculture Li Shucheng was 67. Huang Yanpei, in particular, while still in good health, was in his seventies after all, and could hardly withstand such intense work. Huang Yanpei was a man who refused to give in.

No matter how others work, he doesn't want people to think he is just idling away his time. Unfortunately, time is not forgiving.

Soon I couldn't hold on any longer.

Therefore, in this restructuring, Huang Yanpei will serve full-time as Vice Chairman of the CPPCC, assisting the Premier in handling the daily work of the CPPCC. He will retain his position as Vice Premier of the State Council, but will no longer serve as Minister of Light Industry. After these adjustments are finalized, the State Council will hold a meeting.

After discussion, our Political and Legal Committee decided to establish a Central Disaster Relief Committee to address the increasing difficulties of disaster relief work caused by the frequent disasters across the country. Currently, floods are the primary disaster in the country. To address floods, we will establish the Central Flood Control Committee and the Central Epidemic Prevention Committee on the basis of the Disaster Relief Committee. With the Central Disaster Relief Committee as the core, the Central Flood Control Committee and the Central Epidemic Prevention Committee as the wings, and the relevant functional departments as the foundation, we will form China's disaster management system.

After nearly a year of exploration and adjustment, the work of the State Council has begun to get on track.

The current State Council also has levels.

The Premier is in charge of the overall situation, though he currently primarily oversees foreign affairs and united front work. The various committees under the State Council each have their own Party group, director, and deputy director. Generally, each committee holds its own meeting to discuss its work, then reports any decisions made at a Party group meeting or at a State Council meeting.

Even these committees report to the State Council while reporting directly to the Party Central Committee.

In the Finance and Economics Committee, where the vice premiers gather, each vice premier can directly raise matters concerning his or her own department at State Council meetings without going through the committee. However, the division of responsibilities is becoming increasingly clear.

Each deputy prime minister is in charge of a different area.

After the meeting, Marshal Nie was the first to make a report.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs within the Political and Legal Affairs Committee later became the Ministry of Civil Affairs. However, the current Ministry of Internal Affairs has more responsibilities than the later Ministry of Civil Affairs. It had been almost ten months since the founding of New China, but many areas still had many disaster victims.

How to rescue and prevent disasters are the responsibilities of the Ministry of the Interior.

The central government had long discussed establishing a disaster relief department. The Political and Legal Committee, after deliberation, came up with its own plan. The Premier looked at the others.

No one raised any objections. This was Marshal Nie's responsibility, and since the Political and Legal Committee had already held a meeting to discuss and come up with a plan, no one else would say anything. This was a tacit political understanding.

Don't interfere with other people's work.

So the Prime Minister said, "Okay. After the Political and Legal Committee discusses it, come up with a specific list of leaders." "Okay."

Marshal Nie nodded.

After Marshal Nie finished speaking, Chen Yun said, "After discussion, the Finance and Economics Committee agreed to Comrade Wei Hongjun's proposal to abolish the Ministry of Food Industry and merge it into the Ministry of Light Industry."

Chapter 799 Harbin Trade Fair and Ministry Adjustments

Chen Yun spoke on behalf of the Finance and Economics Committee.

Wei Hongjun added: "Currently, there are very few light industrial factories directly under the Ministry of Light Industry, and there are only a few in North China. Other light industrial factories are under the management of local governments. The same is true for the Ministry of Food Industry. Moreover, my country's food industry is at its most advanced stage, and there are not many factories. I don't think it needs to be so clearly divided. Therefore, I suggest that the Ministry of Food Industry be merged into the Ministry of Light Industry, and a General Administration of Food Industry be established under the Ministry of Light Industry."

After Wei Hongjun officially became the Vice Premier of the State Council, his say in the ministries and commissions under his charge became even greater.

For example, after Huang Yanpei stepped down as Minister of Light Industry, Wei Hongjun, as the Vice Premier in charge, had a significant say in selecting a new Minister. Wei Hongjun could recommend the cadre he deemed suitable. Unless the State Council absolutely objected to the cadre Wei Hongjun recommended, the Council would respect the opinion of a leader like him, according to protocol.

The Ministry of Light Industry and the Ministry of Food Industry are both ministries under Wei Hongjun's charge.

The Red Army believed the existence of the Ministry of Food Industry was useless. There was no food industry in China today, and the food industry itself shouldn't be a ministry. If even this were to be divided, how many ministries would the central government have to divide? It would be better to merge it directly into the Ministry of Light Industry and put it under its leadership. While an additional ministry would allow for more cadres, the Red Army couldn't let this cause any disruption to its work. Therefore, the Red Army directly proposed to the Finance and Economics Committee to merge the Ministry of Light Industry and the Ministry of Food Industry, which was supported by Chen Yun, Li Fuchun, and Tong Binlun.

The Prime Minister would not object to the proposal passed by the Finance and Economics Committee, so he nodded.

He said: "It can be moved forward. Comrade Hongjun, you should draw up a specific plan for the incorporation. After it is discussed and approved by the Finance and Economics Committee, it should be submitted directly to the Central Committee for approval." After the Third Session of the Seventh Central Committee, the Premier became very cautious.

When the State Council was first established, its work was generally not reported to the Party Central Committee. Instead, it was directly implemented after approval by the State Council. This was because both the Prime Minister and Dong Biwu supported the "separation of party and government".

The Prime Minister believes that the Party Central Committee should not

This should interfere with the work of the State Council.

But things are different now.

At the Third Session of the Seventh Central Committee, the Chairman once again criticized "localism" and "separatism".

Li Yu, who pioneered the Shandong Anti-Japanese Base Area, was stripped of his position as an alternate member of the Central Committee. This was a clear warning. Li Yu's work problems, especially his mistakes during land reform, were not serious enough to warrant removal from the position of alternate member of the Central Committee. Liu Huafu made numerous mistakes during land reform, but he was not removed from the position of alternate member of the Central Committee.

Li Yu's problem is the same as Fang Fang's problem at the South China Branch: both are "localism" and "separatism."

It hit the muzzle of the gun in the center.

It can be said that the Third Session of the Seventh Central Committee once again clearly opposed "separatism." Furthermore, among the Politburo Standing Committee members, with the exception of the Premier, no one else supported "separation of Party and government." The Chairman's stance was also clear.

At the current stage of work, the central government needs to centralize power.

China's foundation is weak, and centralization is even more crucial now. This is especially true with the numerous cooperation agreements reached with the Soviet Union. If separatism becomes too serious, it will be impossible to concentrate limited resources for development. The Prime Minister is a very cautious person, so he pays close attention to detail in this regard. He will have the Finance and Economics Committee make a decision and then report directly to the central government.

"Yes, I will come up with an incorporation plan as soon as possible."

Wei Hongjun nodded.

The issues concerning the Ministry of Light Industry and the Ministry of Food Industry are actually quite easy to resolve, including cadre arrangements.

Wei Hongjun already had a plan in mind.

Because many high-ranking officials from the local governments have not yet fully moved to Beijing, many central ministries and commissions are currently operating in an irregular manner. Among the current central ministries and commissions, some are headed by vice premiers, while others are headed by ministers who are also ministers. These ministries hold considerable status within the State Council. Generally speaking, both types of ministries and commissions are part of the State Council.

Most of the ministries and commissions that do not have concurrent ministerial committee members are under the leadership of the State Council.

That is, when the State Council holds meetings, the ministers of the ministries and commissions that make up the Council are all eligible to attend, speak, and vote. Meanwhile, those ministries and commissions that are under the leadership of the Council are, at most, observers at the Council meetings. So, even though they are all ministers of the Council, there are significant differences in rank.

Starting from the first administrative level, all the way up to the fourth and fifth administrative levels.

The disparity in rank between ministers within the same central government ministries is even more pronounced below them. Some vice ministers hold very high ranks, while others are quite low. For example, in the current Ministry of Light Industry, Huang Yan is at administrative level two, but the vice ministers below him are all administrative level six or seven. Some are even at administrative level eight.

You can imagine the current situation of central government ministries.

After Huang Yanpei left the Ministry of Light Industry, none of the deputy ministers below him could become minister because their ranks were too low.

This wasn't just the case with the Ministry of Light Industry; it was also the case with many other ministries. So, after the two ministries were merged, Yang Lisan, the Minister of the Ministry of Food Industry, could directly assume the role of Minister of Light Industry. Yang Lisan was a veteran Party member and Red Army member who participated in the Autumn Harvest Uprising.

After the establishment of the North China Bureau, Yang Lisan held both military and local posts. In the military, he served as a capable assistant to Zhao Lu, the head of the North China Military Region's Logistics Department, and at the time, he was Deputy Head of the Logistics Department. In the local government, he served as an assistant to Mao Zemin, serving as Deputy Director of the North China Finance and Economics Office. "Regarding the Harbin Import and Export Fair, our Ministry of Foreign Trade suggests holding the first one in late August or early September of this year to see the results. If the results are good, we can hold the Fair annually."

After discussing the affairs of the Ministry of Light Industry and the Ministry of Food Industry, Mao Zemin brought up the issue of the "Harbin Trade Fair".

Regarding the "Harbin Trade Fair", Mao Zemin has already submitted a proposal.

The Central Committee considered the Kazakhstan Trade Fair "a very promising idea" and in line with the Central Committee's current overall approach of focusing trade on the Soviet Union, so it agreed to hold the Kazakhstan Trade Fair. However, the specific plan still needed to be formulated by Mao Zemin.

"Trade with the Soviet Union involving minerals doesn't actually require the Ministry of Foreign Trade. The Soviet Union already knows how much minerals they need, and the Soviet experts they send help us formulate mining plans. Therefore, the Ministry of Foreign Trade's primary job is to promote our agricultural products and light industrial products to the Soviet Union and Eastern European socialist countries. Through these exchanges, we can learn what products the Soviet Union and Eastern European socialist countries need, and adjust our light industrial production plans based on their needs."

"In 1948, my country's total foreign trade volume was US$13.7 billion, of which US$9.3 million was with European and American capitalist countries, and US$4.4 million was with the Soviet Union and Eastern European socialist countries. Imports were high, exports were low, and my country currently has a serious trade deficit. If we hadn't borrowed so much from the Soviet Union, exchanged more than 2 million Hong Kong dollars for it, and exchanged 60 billion US dollars in foreign exchange domestically, it would have been difficult for us to maintain our current trade situation. my country is currently very short of foreign exchange.

In the coming years, my country will still need to import a large amount of necessary machinery and equipment, which will require a large amount of foreign exchange. Therefore, we must find ways to earn foreign exchange for the country so that we can purchase the necessary machinery and equipment. At present, the best way to quickly increase our export volume is to quickly expand into the socialist market in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe and export more agricultural products and light industrial products.

Mao Zemin has been very troubled by import and export issues recently.

The import and export volume in 1948 was not low.

But the current situation is that exports are low and imports are high.

Exports consisted of low-priced minerals and agricultural products, while imports consisted of expensive machinery and equipment. Furthermore, China had borrowed heavily from the Soviet Union, which it would have to repay. Mao Zemin, of course, was determined to find ways to increase exports. He had carefully analyzed the current situation.

Doing business through Hong Kong, Macao and European and American businessmen has become relatively mature.

But business with the Soviet Union and Eastern European countries was different. The $4.4 million trade volume wasn't due to massive Chinese exports, but rather to China's massive purchases of machinery and equipment from the Soviet Union and Eastern European countries in 1948. This, however, was not normal.

China must increase exports as soon as possible.

"To hold the Harbin Trade Fair, we need the cooperation of the Ministry of Textile Industry, the Ministry of Light Industry, the Ministry of Food Industry, the Ministry of Agriculture, and local provinces. Because we don't understand the needs of the Soviet Union and Eastern European socialism, we need to display as many things as possible at the Harbin Trade Fair for the Soviet Union and Eastern European socialist countries to choose from.

This was the first time such a trade fair had taken place, and no one was familiar with it.

"The central ministries and local governments are unfamiliar with the situation, and the businesses themselves are also unclear. So we need to mobilize the central ministries and local governments to get them to participate in the Harbin Trade Fair." But with so many ministries and local governments involved, the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation is overwhelmed.

The Prime Minister asked: "What does Comrade Mao Zemin mean?"

"I'm thinking of setting up a Harbin International Trade Fair Preparatory Committee, drawing cadres from various ministries and commissions to participate and coordinate their work." "Okay."

The Prime Minister nodded.

That's not a problem.

When encountering some important matters, it is normal to set up such a preparatory committee.

The Premier looked around and saw that the agricultural and light industrial products currently being exported were all from the ministries under Wei Hongjun's charge. So, he said, "Comrade Wei Hongjun, it was you who proposed the Harbin Trade Fair, and you oversee the Ministry of Textile Industry, the Ministry of Light Industry, the Ministry of Food Industry, and the Ministry of Agriculture. I suggest you help Comrade Mao Zemin establish the Harbin Trade Fair Preparatory Committee to ensure the smooth conduct of the first Harbin Trade Fair."

"Yes."

Wei Hongjun nodded.

The current import-export trade volume between China and the Soviet Union is approximately $1960 million. Historically, around 20, the total trade volume between the two countries exceeded $40 billion, and China's total import-export volume reached nearly $310 billion. At the time, the total import-export volume of the United States was only around $ billion. China's trade volume was not low at the time.

The markets of the Soviet Union and Eastern European countries are not small.