Zeng Qinghong was the Vice-President of the People's Republic of China from 2003 to 2008. He became a member of the Politburo Standing Committee and member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee during the 2002 16th Party Congress. Although he was formally ranked fifth in the nine PSC members, Zeng's actual power was believed to be second only to President Hu Jintao. Since the retirement of his patron Jiang Zemin, Zeng was the primary force behind the party's organization and personnel.