the party's top policy execution and implementation organ. That he advanced to such a high rank at 44 years of age was seen as a promising sign that he was being groomed for the party's top leadership post. Wang was therefore seen as a close associate of Hu, given that both men had come from Communist Youth League backgrounds. Hu, a reformer, was ousted from power by a group of conservative party elders in 1987 due to irreconcilable differences over policy. Wang had advocated for policies favouring the party "clean up its own act" and "self-discipline" as part of wider political reform programs spearheaded by Hu, and said that these changes must begin with the party's upper echelons. This move was met with resistance from party elders, who saw themselves as being unfairly targeted and politically vulnerable; Wang was subsequently removed as General Office chief. Wang was succeeded by Wen Jiabao, the deputy chief of the General Office at the time. It is believed that Wang's exit from the elite ranks was delicately intertwined with Hu Yaobang's downfall, as his Youth League political forces were deliberately scattered around the country to weed out their influence. As the political winds in Beijing shifted towards more a conservative tone towards the late 1980s, Wang's political fortunes suffered. Wang was named Governor of Fujian in 1987, in what was widely considered a demotion and 'banishment' from the political center stage in Beijing. The move was speculated to be suggested by respected party elder Chen Yun and approved by Deng Xiaoping. Possibly as a result of his term in Fujian, which sat just across the strait from Taiwan, Wang was named the director of the Taiwan Affairs Office in 1990 (he assumed the State Council office chief position first, then the party position in 1991). In 1992, he was also named the head of the United Front Work Department of the Central Committee, in charge of rallying support from organizations not affiliated with the Communist Party. During his tenure, he notably oversaw the 1992 Consensus, where both the PRC and the ROC recognize there is only one "China", the selection of the 11th Panchen Lama, among other important historical moments. He served in the post for some ten years. Politburo and beyond At the 16th Party Congress, his erstwhile colleague and deputy at the Youth League, Hu Jintao, was elevated to become General Secretary