a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CCP Central Committee and a member of the Secretariat of the CCP Central Committee, Hu was placed in charge of propaganda. Hu followed Zhao's instructions and began a propaganda policy for openness and tolerance in engaging the students in dialogue. On 29 April 1989, the People’s Daily published an editorial titled, Keep Stable, Keep Overall Situation. Hu made comments that the Beijing students had begun to act reasonably and that the Chinese government needed to offer more accurate news for the students. He also believed that the student movement should be reported on accurately and without misinformation. Hu also agreed with Zhao Ziyang's speech. On 3 May 1989, Zhao made a speech to commemorate the May Fourth Movement for its 70th anniversary. In it, he stated that the Beijing students loved China and called of continued talks with the student leaders. On 19 May 1989, there was an evening meeting to brief the Standing Committee. Zhao refused to accept the command of instituting martial law as proposed by Premier Li Peng. Out of all the members of the Standing Committee, only two were opposed to martial law: Zhao and Hu. This began the change of Hu's political future. The Fourth Plenum of the Thirteenth Central Committee was held on the 23 and 24 of June 1989. They approved a decision made two days earlier at a meeting of the Politburo to strip Hu and Zhao as well as Rui Xingwen and Yan Mingfu of their party posts. For a period of time, Hu was finished in politics in China. Return to government In 1991, Hu returned to politics and was appointed as vice minister and Leading Party Members' Group member of the Ministry of the Machine-Building and Electronics Industry. From 1993 to 1998, he was the minister of the Ministry of the Machine-Building and Electronics Industry. In 1998, Hu was elected vice chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. He had a mandate to restore proper political treatment of leaders of the party and state. By convention, persons who hold positions of the Vice-Chairs of the NPC, vice chairman of the CPPCC or above are referred to " Leaders of the Party and the State " (党和国家领导人) in the official media. He was appointed the chairman of the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation in 2001, which deals