Many firsts have caused fundamental changes in the country's economic and political landscapes since reform and opening was launched in the late 1970s. These include the first self-employed people, the first private enterprise and the first freelancer.

With his appointment as minister of science and technology on Thursday, Wan Gang, vice-chairman of China Zhi Gong Dang, one of China's eight non-Communist parties, became the country's first non-Communist cabinet minister since the reform and opening process was launched.

Multi-party cooperation and consultation under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) is the country's fundamental political system. The appointment of a cabinet minister without a Communist Party background signifies headway in multi-party cooperation, an area with a lot of possibilities in terms of political reforms.