Zhang has extensive regional governance experience unmatched by senior leaders of his generation. He successively served as the Party Secretary of the provinces of Jilin, Zhejiang and Guangdong. The SARS outbreak began in Guangdong and occurred during Zhang's term as the provincial party chief there. He served as Vice-Premier in charge of energy, telecommunications, and transportation under Premier Wen Jiabao, widely known for being Wen's 'troubleshooter' of choice, leading various disaster response task forces, such as during the 2009 Heilongjiang mine explosion and the 2011 Wenzhou train collision. In March 2012, Zhang replaced Bo Xilai as the party secretary of Chongqing.