Zhou Xianwang

{{Infobox officeholder

| image =

| caption =

| office1 = Vice Chairman of the Hubei Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference

| term_start1 = 26 January 2021

| term_end1 =

| predecessor1 =

| successor1 =

| 1blankname1 = Chairman

| 1namedata1 = Huang Chuping

| office2 = Mayor of Wuhan

| term_start2 = May 2018

| term_end2 = January 2021

| leader2 = Ma Guoqiang →Wang Zhonglin (Party secretary)

| predecessor2 = Wan Yong

| successor2 = Cheng Yongwen

| office3 = Deputy Governor of Hubei

| term_start3 = March 2017

| term_end3 = May 2018

| predecessor3 =

| successor3 =

| governor3 = Wang Xiaodong

| office4 = Communist Party Secretary of Huangshi

| term_start4 = December 2012

| term_end4 = April 2017

| predecessor4 = Wang Jianming

| successor4 = Ma Xudong

| name = Zhou Xianwang

| native_name = {{nobold|周先旺}}

| native_name_lang = zh

| birthname =

| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1962|11}}

| birth_place = Jianshi County, Hubei

| death_date =

| death_place =

| residence = Wuhan

| party = Chinese Communist Party

| spouse =

| children =

| parents =

| relations =

| religion =

| profession =

| alma_mater = Hubei University
Central Party School of the Chinese Communist Party

| website =

| signature =

| footnotes =

}}

Zhou Xianwang ({{zh|c=周先旺|p=Zhōu Xiānwàng}}; born November 1962) is a Chinese politician currently serving as vice chairman of the Hubei Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.{{cite news|author1=Zhang Hui ({{lang|zh|张辉}})|url=https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_10950273 |script-title=zh:黄楚平当选湖北省政协主席 |work=thepaper.cn |date=26 January 2021 |access-date=26 January 2021 |language=zh}} Previously, he served as Deputy Party Committee Secretary and mayor of Wuhan. He is of Tujia heritage. He entered the workforce in September 1980, and joined the Chinese Communist Party in January 1987.{{cite news |author1=Zhong Yuhao ({{lang|zh|钟煜豪}}) |url=https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2159434 |script-title=zh:周先旺任武汉市副市长、代理市长：是人生之幸，更是千钧之责 |work=thepaper |date=29 May 2018 |access-date=29 January 2020 |language=zh |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200129073730/https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2159434 |archive-date=29 January 2020 |url-status=live }}

Biography

Zhou was born in Jianshi County, Hubei, in November 1962. Zhou served in his home-county for a long time, what he was promoted to deputy magistrate in February 1993. He was secretary of Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture Committee of the Communist Youth League in January 1994, and held that office until September 1995. In September 1995 he was promoted to become deputy party secretary and magistrate of Xuan'en County, a position he held until April 1998. He served as vice-mayor of Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture in April 1998, and four years later promoted to the mayor position. In February 2008, he was appointed head of Hubei Provincial Department of Commerce and director of Hubei Provincial Foreign Investment Office, he remained in that position until November 2012, when he was transferred to Huangshi and appointed the party secretary. He concurrently served as deputy governor of Hubei from March 2017 to May 2018. In May 2018, he was named acting mayor and deputy party secretary of Wuhan, replacing Wan Yong.{{cite news|author1=Liu Na ({{lang|zh|刘娜}})|url=https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2154500 |script-title=zh:周先旺任武汉市委副书记，万勇不再担任市委副书记 |work=thepaper |date=26 May 2018 |access-date=29 January 2020 |language=zh}} On January 26, 2021, he was elected vice chairman of the Hubei Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

=Criticism=

In December 2019, when a new coronavirus, designated SARS-CoV-2, broke out in Wuhan, local people accused Zhou and his superior, Party secretary Ma Guoqiang of being slow to respond to the epidemic.{{cite news |title=UPDATE 1-Mayor of China's Wuhan draws online ire for '80 out of 100' interview |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/china-health-wuhan-mayor/update-1-mayor-of-chinas-wuhan-draws-online-ire-for-80-out-of-100-interview-idUSL4N29W185 |access-date=29 January 2020 |work=reuters |date=27 January 2020}}{{cite news |author1=Josephine Ma |author2=Zhuang Pinghui |title=5 million left Wuhan before lockdown, 1,000 new coronavirus cases expected in city |url=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3047720/chinese-premier-li-keqiang-head-coronavirus-crisis-team-outbreak |access-date=29 January 2020 |work=South China Morning Post |date=26 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200128001023/https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3047720/chinese-premier-li-keqiang-head-coronavirus-crisis-team-outbreak |archive-date=28 January 2020 |url-status=live }} On January 27, 2020, in an interview on China Central Television, Zhou acknowledged that the city government had failed to promptly disclose information about the outbreak while stating that "as a local government, we need to get authorisation before disclosure" which led many to think that he was pointing at the central government for being slow on giving him authorisation. Zhou then offered to resign over the January 23 decision to lock down the city.{{cite news |last1=The Guardian |title=Wuhan mayor says city's governance 'not good enough' as coronavirus spreads – video |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/video/2020/jan/27/wuhan-mayor-says-citys-governance-not-good-enough-as-coronavirus-spreads-video |access-date=7 March 2020 |agency=The Guardian |issue=27 January 2020 |work=The Guardian |date=27 January 2020 }}{{cite news |author1=Lu Zhenghua |title=Wuhan Mayor Offers to Resign Over Coronavirus Response |url=https://www.caixinglobal.com/2020-01-28/wuhan-mayor-offers-resignation-over-coronavirus-response-101508899.html |access-date=29 January 2020 |work=Caixin |date=28 January 2020}}{{cite news |author1=Sarah Zheng |title=Wuhan mayor under pressure to resign over response to coronavirus outbreak |url=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3047230/wuhan-mayor-under-pressure-resign-over-response-coronavirus |access-date=29 January 2020 |work=South China Morning Post |date=23 January 2020}}{{cite news |author1=Yang Zekun |title=Wuhan mayor says will resign if it helps control outbreak |url=https://enapp.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202001/27/AP5e2e9f6ba3103a24b1104f53.html |access-date=29 January 2020 |work=China Daily |date=27 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200129073731/https://enapp.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202001/27/AP5e2e9f6ba3103a24b1104f53.html |archive-date=29 January 2020 |url-status=live }}

In addition, Zhou was criticized for hosting the Baibuting{{cite news |title=Coronavirus: the cost of China's public health cover-up |url=https://www.ft.com/content/fa83463a-4737-11ea-aeb3-955839e06441 |access-date=6 February 2020 |work=Financial Times|date=6 February 2020}} banquet on January 18, 2020, where 40,000 Wuhan families{{cite news |title=Wuhan mayor under pressure to resign over response to coronavirus outbreak |url=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3047230/wuhan-mayor-under-pressure-resign-over-response-coronavirus |access-date=23 January 2020 |work=South China Morning Post|date=23 January 2020}}{{cite news |title=Is Wuhan's mayor being set up to be the fall guy for the virus outbreak? |url=https://www.cnn.com/asia/live-news/coronavirus-outbreak-01-29-20-intl-hnk/h_6d8cf9d5c0b2cf01447dd24325ed6dd3 |access-date=29 January 2020 |work=South CNN|date=29 January 2020}} cooked and ate a communal meal in celebration of the New Year, five days before the city went into lockdown.