https://www.scmp.com/rss/323476/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Wang Qishan, China’s former formidable anti-corruption tsar, has defied political convention to hold on to a seat in the nation’s top legislature, paving the way for him to remain a player in state affairs for years to come. Wang, 69, stepped down from the supreme, seven-member Politburo Standing Committee in October after reaching the Communist Party’s unofficial retirement age of 68. The South China Morning Post reported in December that Wang, who rolled out Chinese President Xi Jinping’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2131097/chinas-retired-anticorruption-tsar-wang-qishan-holds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2131097/chinas-retired-anticorruption-tsar-wang-qishan-holds?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Jan 2018 14:30:30 +0000 Zhou Xiaochuan, the long-serving governor of the People’s Bank of China, was not included on a new list of the nation’s top political advisory body, the strongest signal yet he may be about to retire. Zhou, who has served as vice-chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference since 2013, is not being re-selected as a member of its 13th national committee, according to the official Xinhua news agency. The absence signals Zhou – who turns 70 on Monday – is likely to retire from... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2130541/chinas-central-bank-boss-zhou-xiaochuan-about-retire?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2130541/chinas-central-bank-boss-zhou-xiaochuan-about-retire?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Jan 2018 07:22:56 +0000 China's point man on Sino-US trade ties is set to move on to be the country’s top political adviser and take direct charge of the Communist Party’s public engagement campaigns. The appearance of Wang Yang, 63, at a national party gathering on engaging non-party sections of society is the latest sign that the former Chinese representative in high-level economic talks with the United States will take up the outreach portfolio. It also comes as China’s activities abroad are under greater scrutiny... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2128703/chinas-go-man-us-trade-take-communist-partys-top-job?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2128703/chinas-go-man-us-trade-take-communist-partys-top-job?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Jan 2018 13:00:30 +0000 China has named an acting mayor for the northern city of Tianjin, state media said on Tuesday, months after the mayor was jailed for corruption. The port city of Tianjin, close to Beijing, has ambitions to become a financial hub for northern China and is one of four areas designated a municipality, along with Beijing, Shanghai and Chongqing, giving it the same high status as a province. Zhang Guoqing, the former mayor of Chongqing, was appointed acting mayor and deputy mayor of Tianjin, the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2126509/china-names-acting-mayor-tianjin-after-bribery-scandal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2126509/china-names-acting-mayor-tianjin-after-bribery-scandal?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Jan 2018 07:51:27 +0000 President Xi Jinping’s key economic adviser Liu He is likely to be promoted to vice-premier in March, as Xi assembles a new team to steer the world’s second largest economy over the next five years, according to sources with knowledge of the arrangement. After spending his first term amassing unprecedented power through a much trumpeted anti-corruption crusade, Xi is now under increasing pressure to tackle the daunting challenges facing the US$12 trillion economy that range from ballooning debts... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2123716/key-xi-jinping-adviser-set-major-role-team-steering?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2123716/key-xi-jinping-adviser-set-major-role-team-steering?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Dec 2017 00:00:45 +0000 The Chinese Communist Party has appointed the former party chief of the coastal province of Fujian to take charge of its relations with non-party groups at home and abroad, including Hong Kong and Taiwan. State media reported on Tuesday that You Quan had been appointed the head of the party’s United Front Work Department on Tuesday, after handing over his position in the southeastern province to the former governor. You’s new responsibilities will include rallying support from business elites in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2118815/chinas-new-non-party-liaison-chief-aims-boost-support?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2118815/chinas-new-non-party-liaison-chief-aims-boost-support?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Nov 2017 14:08:00 +0000 Xi Jinping’s former college classmate has been appointed to a senior position leading the Communist Party’s top academy in a promotion that broke with convention. The appointment of Chen Xi, the party’s personnel chief, as president of the Central Party School is a departure from precedent for filling the post. For nearly three decades, the post has been held by the first ranking member of the party’s secretariat, a role filled by a member of the top Politburo Standing Committee. But Chen is a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2118275/xis-college-roommate-latest-close-ally-given-senior?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2118275/xis-college-roommate-latest-close-ally-given-senior?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Nov 2017 07:00:00 +0000 China’s intelligence agencies and its police force are in for a shake-up with the announcement of two key appointments at the top of the national security apparatus. Zhao Kezhi, 63, who has worked closely with two of President Xi Jinping’s trusted aides, had taken over as Communist Party secretary at the Ministry of Public Security, the ministry said on November 1 . He was appointed Minister of Public Security on November 4. Zhao’s predecessor, Guo Shengkun, 63, is staying on as minister for now... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2117894/china-appoints-new-communist-party-chief-oversee-police?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2117894/china-appoints-new-communist-party-chief-oversee-police?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Nov 2017 03:56:23 +0000 Beijing’s public security minister will take over as the country’s top security chief following a twice-a-decade leadership reshuffle of the ruling Communist Party. Guo Shengkun, also a new member of the 25-member Politburo, will succeed Meng Jianzhu as party secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission of the Central Committee, state news agency Xinhua reported. Guo for the first time presided over a commission meeting on Tuesday in Beijing. It is not yet clear who will take over... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2117844/public-security-minister-guo-shengkun-step-chinas-top?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2117844/public-security-minister-guo-shengkun-step-chinas-top?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Oct 2017 14:17:55 +0000 The technocratic credentials of the Communist Party’s Central Committee were boosted at the recently concluded party congress in Beijing, with two former engineers with a background in the defence industries, including the aerospace sector, joining the 204-member body. Zhejiang governor Yuan Jiajun and Jin Zhuanglong, the former chairman of Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac) who is now first deputy to President Xi Jinping on an important military-civilian integration committee,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2117319/chinas-technocrats-blast-two-more-space-engineers-new?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2117319/chinas-technocrats-blast-two-more-space-engineers-new?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Oct 2017 09:18:28 +0000 When Li Qiang became party chief of Jiangsu in June last year, it was the first time he had worked outside his home province of Zhejiang in more than three decades in politics. Situated on China’s east coast, just north of Zhejiang, Jiangsu has the second-largest gross domestic product of all the country’s provinces – it is second only to the southern economic powerhouse of Guangdong. Jiangsu’s GDP expanded 7.8 per cent in 2016 from a year earlier to more than 7.6 trillion yuan (US$1.14... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2117420/li-qiang-keen-supporter-private-sector-and-xi?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2117420/li-qiang-keen-supporter-private-sector-and-xi?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Oct 2017 03:31:19 +0000 Beijing has named Li Qiang, a former top aide to President Xi Jinping, as the top boss of Shanghai – an appointment that will be key to realising its ambitions for the city. Li, 58, formerly the party secretary of Jiangsu province, replaced Han Zheng, 63, following Han’s elevation to the Communist Party’s top seven-member decision-making body, the Politburo Standing Committee, Xinhua reported on Sunday. It comes after Shanghai revealed its plan to develop a free-trade port that is fully open to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2117465/xi-jinpings-former-secretary-takes-top-job-shanghai?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2117465/xi-jinpings-former-secretary-takes-top-job-shanghai?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Oct 2017 02:45:30 +0000 Beijing named a new top official for the southern economic powerhouse of Guangdong on Saturday, one of a series of senior appointments to be made after the Communist Party’s leadership shake-up. Li Xi, 61 – one of President Xi Jinping’s allies elevated to the 25-member Politburo on Wednesday – was named as the province’s party chief, succeeding Hu Chunhua, the official Xinhua news agency said in a brief report. Li was previously party chief of northeastern Liaoning province and will be succeeded... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2117432/xi-ally-named-new-boss-chinas-manufacturing-heartland?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2117432/xi-ally-named-new-boss-chinas-manufacturing-heartland?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Oct 2017 11:19:02 +0000 Corrupt officials still out there who dared hope that the Communist Party’s anti-graft campaign might be losing steam after five years would have been disappointed by President Xi Jinping’s political report to the 19th congress. He has put himself at the head of a central leading group to oversee a new anti-corruption regime, a role he has taken in other areas to which he attaches paramount importance, such as cybersecurity and military reform. And he left no doubt about zero tolerance of graft... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2117207/graft-fight-must-be-open-and-accountable?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2117207/graft-fight-must-be-open-and-accountable?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Oct 2017 17:37:58 +0000 Three disgraced senior officials from China’s Communist Party, including a man once considered a possible successor to President Xi Jinping, have been accused of rigging internal elections, as the party revealed on Thursday it abandoned a vote-based promotion system at its latest leadership reshuffle. The accused cadres are the former security tsar Zhou Yongkang, former chief of staff to President Hu Jintao Ling Jihua, and former Chongqing party boss Sun Zhengcai, according to a Xinhua... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2117190/three-disgraced-chinese-communist-party-officials?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2117190/three-disgraced-chinese-communist-party-officials?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Oct 2017 15:15:45 +0000 Once run by peasants-turned-revolutionaries and then engineers, China is now in the hands of a group of political experts, economists and theorists. Only a decade ago, eight of the nine top Communist Party leaders studied engineering or natural sciences – the most sought-after majors when the country was struggling to industrialise. But no one in the newly appointed Politburo Standing Committee, unveiled on Wednesday, belongs to the so-called technocrats, who worked as engineers or natural... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2117169/out-technocrats-chinas-new-breed-politicians?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2117169/out-technocrats-chinas-new-breed-politicians?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Oct 2017 11:45:30 +0000 China’s Communist Party has appointed a new slimmed down Central Military Commission to oversee the nation’s armed forces. Analysts said the appointments further strengthened Xi’s control over the commission, which he heads. The body will be led by a seven member group, down from the 11 who oversaw its operations previously. The changes come as Xi has initiated a massive modernisation programme for the country’s military to make it a leaner and more efficient fighting force. Here are the details... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2116856/what-changes-top-mean-chinas-military?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2116856/what-changes-top-mean-chinas-military?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Oct 2017 05:17:55 +0000 China’s anti-graft tsar may be on the way out but the Communist Party’s discipline watchdog is expected to have a bigger role, with its new chief gaining a seat in the innermost circle of power. The changes in the party’s leadership line-up will also pave the way for institutionalisation of President Xi Jinping’s anti-graft drive, further blurring the line between the party and the state. Among the seven members of the Politburo Standing Committee introduced to the public on Wednesday was Zhao... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2117005/higher-profile-anti-corruption-watchdogs-chinas-graft?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2117005/higher-profile-anti-corruption-watchdogs-chinas-graft?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Oct 2017 00:30:15 +0000 The top echelon of the body overseeing the running of the world’s biggest military has shrunk by a third to make it the smallest leadership line-up in the history of the People’s Liberation Army. The Communist Party announced on Wednesday that the Central Military Commission would be led by a seven-member group, down from the 11 members who headed its operations before. Military analysts said the streamlined group indicated President Xi Jinping, the CMC’s chairman, was further consolidating his... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2117004/xi-jinping-rolls-out-leaner-top-line-chinas-military?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2117004/xi-jinping-rolls-out-leaner-top-line-chinas-military?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Oct 2017 16:00:45 +0000 The elevation of China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi to the Communist Party’s top echelon of power is an unequivocal sign of President Xi Jinping’s ambitions for the country as a rising global power, diplomatic pundits said. The State councillor and head of China’s foreign policy establishment was promoted to the 25-member Politburo on Wednesday, making him the most powerful foreign affairs official since Qian Qichen, a vice-premier and foreign policy guru under Jiang Zemin, who retired in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2116978/its-good-day-chinas-diplomats-foreign-policy-chief?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2116978/its-good-day-chinas-diplomats-foreign-policy-chief?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Oct 2017 14:00:45 +0000 China’s ruling Communist Party unveiled its new leadership on Wednesday morning, ending months of speculation over how President Xi Jinping would assemble his team to kick-start a second term in power. The seven members of the Politburo Standing Committee, the county’s apex of power, are, in order of seniority: President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji and Han Zheng. All but Xi and Li Keqiang are new appointments, and their promotions in line with... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2116926/young-pretenders-fail-break-chinas-innermost-circle-we?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2116926/young-pretenders-fail-break-chinas-innermost-circle-we?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Oct 2017 08:11:22 +0000 Chinese President Xi Jinping emerged from the Communist Party’s national congress with the new leadership line-up on Wednesday to insist that China did not want flattery from the media and he welcomed constructive suggestions. Starting his second term as the party’s general secretary, Xi invited the media to report more about China, saying he did not ask for excessive praise, but “objective reporting”. About 300 domestic and overseas journalists attended the meeting at the Great Hall of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2116923/no-smiles-no-waves-no-speeches-how-chinas-new-leaders?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2116923/no-smiles-no-waves-no-speeches-how-chinas-new-leaders?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Oct 2017 07:30:15 +0000 Beijing’s top representatives in Hong Kong and Macau, along with its point man on the two cities’ affairs, have been elevated into the Communist Party’s newly reshuffled Central Committee. It marks a shift from the arrangement five years ago, when only the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO) chief, based in Beijing under the State Council, was part of the body that helps guide the country’s policy and major personnel decisions. Tuesday’s announcement by the Communist Party saw the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/2116826/communist-party-taps-beijings-top-men-hong-kong-spots-elite-central?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/2116826/communist-party-taps-beijings-top-men-hong-kong-spots-elite-central?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Oct 2017 13:43:52 +0000 Veteran politician Wang Yang is most likely to become China’s executive vice-premier while Shanghai party chief Han Zheng may head its top political advisory body, sources have told the South China Morning Post. Both are tipped to ascend to the ruling Communist Party’s supreme Politburo Standing Committee. The changes will be made during the party’s twice-a-decade national congress, which is under way in Beijing. Five out of the seven Standing Committee members are due to retire when the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2116411/seasoned-duo-tipped-take-key-jobs-communist-party?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2116411/seasoned-duo-tipped-take-key-jobs-communist-party?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Oct 2017 01:00:15 +0000 President Xi Jinping’s trusted ally Li Zhanshu stands a good chance of becoming chairman of China’s parliament while Communist Party organisation chief Zhao Leji is likely to head its corruption watchdog, sources have told the South China Morning Post. Li is widely expected to be elevated to the Politburo Standing Committee – the ruling party’s top echelon of power – on Wednesday, a day after the party’s 19th national congress closes in Beijing. Most observers had predicted he would succeed Wang... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2116002/xi-jinpings-leadership-reshuffle-begins-meet-pair-about?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2116002/xi-jinpings-leadership-reshuffle-begins-meet-pair-about?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Oct 2017 03:30:30 +0000 China’s military has named a new leader of its Northern Theatre Command as part of a reshuffle ahead of next month’s Communist Party congress. Lieutenant General Li Qiaoming visited troops stationed in Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning provinces – near the North Korean border – recently in his new role as commander of the theatre command, state news agency Xinhua reported on Thursday. He was accompanied by General Xu Qiliang, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), which runs the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2112474/china-names-new-military-commander-strategically?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2112474/china-names-new-military-commander-strategically?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Sep 2017 14:02:23 +0000 A senior official from China’s space programme has been promoted to head the country’s military equipment development programme, an official newspaper announced on Monday, suggesting another move by President Xi Jinping to fill senior military positions with trusted associates. Lieutenant General Li Shangfu, 59, took over the role from General Zhang Youxia, PLA Daily reported. The news came as Li was attending the third China Military and Civilian Integration Export fair in Beijing, at which he... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2111654/space-official-take-charge-chinese-military-equipment?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2111654/space-official-take-charge-chinese-military-equipment?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Sep 2017 06:41:48 +0000 China has appointed a decorated war veteran to head its military nerve centre, suggesting ­President Xi Jinping’s preference to have battlefield-tested ­commanders in charge of military ­operations. General Li Zuocheng, 63, who fought in the 1979 Sino-Vietnamese war and was awarded a first-class merit for his combat service, takes over from General Fang Fenghui as head of the Joint Staff Department. Fang played host to US Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman General Joseph ­Dunford earlier this... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2108524/tense-times-call-battle-tested-chinese-commanders?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2108524/tense-times-call-battle-tested-chinese-commanders?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 27 Aug 2017 15:45:29 +0000 A trusted aide of Chinese President Xi Jinping has been called in to combat corruption and enforce loyalty within a group of key Communist Party organisations, including the top security and economic decision-making bodies. Shu Guozeng, a native of Hangzhou who worked under Xi when he was party secretary of eastern China’s Zhejiang province, was recently appointed head of discipline inspection at the general office of the party’s Central Committee. China’s military warns against return to bad... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2108292/trusted-aide-chinas-xi-jinping-tasked-rooting-out?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2108292/trusted-aide-chinas-xi-jinping-tasked-rooting-out?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 Aug 2017 07:48:57 +0000 A top contender for a role in China’s next leadership is being investigated by the anti-graft agency of the Communist Party, according to people familiar with the matter. Sun Zhengcai, at 53 the youngest member of the party’s 25-strong Politburo, is suspected of “serious violation of party discipline”, according to a source in Chongqing. He was removed as party boss of the city on Saturday. The development could have a significant impact on the ­upcoming leadership reshuffle in the ­autumn. Sun... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2102886/high-flier-chinese-politics-under-investigation-ahead?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2102886/high-flier-chinese-politics-under-investigation-ahead?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 16 Jul 2017 15:45:30 +0000 Chongqing was again ­centre stage of national politics on Saturday with the city’s departing Communist Party boss unusually absent from the announcement of his ­replacement. Analysts and sources said Sun Zhengcai’s absence from the handover meeting could be a sign that he was in hot water. They also said the appointment of his replacement, Guizhou party boss Chen Miner, could pave the way for his promotion at the national party congress later this year. Sun and Chen are among the youngest... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2102810/red-flags-over-future-chinese-megacitys-departing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2102810/red-flags-over-future-chinese-megacitys-departing?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 Jul 2017 16:00:00 +0000 A close ally of Chinese President Xi Jinping has been assigned to a largely nominal position at the nation’s top lawmaking body, despite widespread expectations he might take on higher roles. Xia Baolong, 64, was appointed deputy director of the Environmental and Resources Conservation Committee on Thursday. The position is largely a titular one with limited decision-making power at the National People’s Congress. The appointment effectively caps Xia’s career, as he will reach the retirement... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2091215/xi-jinping-ally-appears-sidelined-npc-committee-role?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2091215/xi-jinping-ally-appears-sidelined-npc-committee-role?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Apr 2017 15:55:57 +0000 If Zhejiang Communist Party boss Xia Baolong does get the nod to oversee the country’s security and judiciary apparatus, President Xi Jinping will have locked in a trusted ally in yet another key party post. Sources close to the party say Xia may become head of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission. Should the appointment go through, it would give Xi one more close associate in control of a strategically important position, adding to Guizhou party boss Chen Miner, Beijing mayor Cai... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2090931/what-next-heavy-handed-cross-toppler-close-xi-jinping?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2090931/what-next-heavy-handed-cross-toppler-close-xi-jinping?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Apr 2017 15:48:54 +0000 Xia Baolong, a well-known hardliner and close aide to Chinese President Xi Jinping, has been replaced as Zhejiang Communist Party chief ahead of a major power reshuffle due in autumn. Xia had stepped down from the province’s top job and was succeeded by Che Jun, a low-key political rising star, state-run ­Xinhua reported on Wednesday. A Zhejiang source told the South China Morning Post that Xia had a chance to take over from 69-year-old Meng Jianzhu as head of the party’s Central Political and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2090821/xi-jinpings-close-ally-take-over-security-organ-ahead?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2090821/xi-jinpings-close-ally-take-over-security-organ-ahead?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Apr 2017 08:00:15 +0000 An official who has spent a long time working in President Xi Jinping’s power base was appointed acting governor of Shandong province on Tuesday, filling an office left vacant for more than a month. Gong Zheng, 57, was appointed by the province’s rubber-stamp legislature as the province’s acting governor, according to the province’s official media. The office has been left vacant since former governor Guo Shuqing departed for Beijing to head the country’s top bank regulator in late February. But... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2086781/gong-zheng-veteran-ally-chinese-president-xi-jinping?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2086781/gong-zheng-veteran-ally-chinese-president-xi-jinping?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Apr 2017 15:47:27 +0000 A top official who has been in his position in northern Shanxi province for less than six months has been made party secretary for the hi-tech hub of Shenzhen. Xinhua reported on Sunday that Wang Weizhong, party chief of Taiyuan, has been named Shenzhen’s party boss. Leadership reshuffle continues ahead of China’s national congress in autumn Wang’s appointment came just a day after Shenzhen’s last party secretary and mayor, Xu Qin, was made deputy party boss of Hebei province, where a new... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2084212/top-shanxi-official-named-shenzhen-party-chief?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2084212/top-shanxi-official-named-shenzhen-party-chief?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 02 Apr 2017 15:00:15 +0000 Three officials who were either protegees of Chinese President Xi Jinping or a top aide of a close ally, have been named ministers. The ministers were appointed on Friday as personnel in the highest echelons of government, the Communist Party and the military continue to be reshuffled ahead of the party’s five-yearly national congress late this year. The National People’s Congress appointed He Lifeng, 62, who worked under Xi in Fujian province, as director of the National Development and Reform... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2073832/chinese-congress-names-xi-associates-fill-top-economic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2073832/chinese-congress-names-xi-associates-fill-top-economic?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Feb 2017 13:17:49 +0000 A close associate of President Xi Jinping is tipped to take over China’s all-powerful state planning agency, according to people familiar with the matter. The National Development and Reform Commission is known as the mini cabinet because of its extensive powers, from setting petrol prices to approving airport construction. The likely appointment of He Lifeng as head of the agency, who has been a deputy minister at the commission since 2014, is viewed as part of a broader effort by Xi to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2073355/close-associate-xi-jinping-tipped-head-chinas-top?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2073355/close-associate-xi-jinping-tipped-head-chinas-top?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Feb 2017 05:00:45 +0000 A long time protégé of President Xi Jinping has been appointed to oversee part of China’s ongoing military reform, and there is speculation that he will be promoted to the top echelon of the leadership in the power transition later this year. Cai Qi, the mayor of Beijing, would head a leading group in the capital to ensure that the military stopped providing paid services, the Beijing Daily reported on Wednesday. “[We] must strengthen coordination of local government and the military, and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2069168/mayor-beijing-put-charge-military-reform-group?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2069168/mayor-beijing-put-charge-military-reform-group?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Feb 2017 10:18:41 +0000 Shanghai’s new mayor tried to strike a confident and optimistic note in his public debut on Friday, giving assurances that the city would press on with financial reforms in its free-trade zone. In his first media conference, just hours after the city’s legislature approved his appointment, Ying Yong, 59, a close aide of President Xi Jinping, also stressed that he had the skills to steer Shanghai through troubled economic waters. He said he was determined to drive the city towards its goal of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2064073/shanghais-new-mayor-leads-free-trade-zone-commitment?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2064073/shanghais-new-mayor-leads-free-trade-zone-commitment?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Jan 2017 16:30:15 +0000 A close ally of President Xi Jinping has been promoted to deputy Communist Party chief of Hubei province ahead of a major power reshuffle late this year, mainland media reported on Tuesday. Chen Yixin, 57, will also become party chief of the provincial capital Wuhan, according to Shanghai-based Thepaper.cn. Chen was previously the deputy director of the general office of the Central Leading Group for Comprehensively Deepening Reform, a group founded and led by Xi to oversee overhauls of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2059015/ally-president-xi-jinping-parachuted-senior-post-hubei?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2059015/ally-president-xi-jinping-parachuted-senior-post-hubei?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Jan 2017 15:15:00 +0000 Shenzhen mayor Xu Qin, who has a strong technology background and no political baggage, has been elevated to lead the Communist Party in the hi-tech hub. Xu replaced Ma Xingrui as city party chief on Saturday, a day after Ma was named acting governor of Guangdong to replace Zhu Xiaodan, a brief report by the China News Service said. The decision was made in a meeting by the city’s leadership and cadres, the report said. Xu was also made a member of the party’s Guangdong provincial committee, and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2058438/china-hi-tech-hub-mayor-adds-party-chief-his-resume?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2058438/china-hi-tech-hub-mayor-adds-party-chief-his-resume?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 31 Dec 2016 11:30:15 +0000 The Communist Party’s top official overseeing the hi-tech hub of Shenzhen was on Friday named acting governor of Guangdong, in the latest reshuffle ahead of next year’s party congress. The appointment of Ma Xingrui to replace Zhu Xiaodan breaks a long-held tradition that governors of the economic powerhouse were usually officials with a strong local political base. His promotion is another instance of officials with strong backgrounds in technology being given some of the most influential... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2058229/china-high-tech-hub-chief-promoted-guangdong-governor?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2058229/china-high-tech-hub-chief-promoted-guangdong-governor?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Dec 2016 09:30:00 +0000 Huang Qifan, who survived a political storm in Chongqing during the tenure of former city party boss Bo Xilai, has resigned as mayor, official media reported on Friday, confirming a South China Morning Post report on Thursday. Huang, 64, relocated to the municipality of 30 million people in 2001 as a vice mayor and has worked with six party secretaries ever since, including Bo, whose downfall was regarded as one of the most dramatic and significant political struggles in the history of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2058142/survivor-chinas-biggest-political-storm-modern-times?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2058142/survivor-chinas-biggest-political-storm-modern-times?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Dec 2016 03:30:30 +0000 Chongqing mayor Huang Qifan is expected to be transferred to a post in China’s rubber stamp legislature as Beijing promotes a rising political star to succeed him as head of the hinterland’s economic powerhouse. China has entered an intensive season of reshuffles ahead of the 19th party congress in the fall of next year. Much attention has been paid to the next position for Huang and the choice of his successor. Sources told the South China Morning Post that Huang is expected to move to one of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2057973/chongqing-mayor-huang-qifan-move-chinas-legislature?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2057973/chongqing-mayor-huang-qifan-move-chinas-legislature?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Dec 2016 12:45:45 +0000 Ying Yong, a former close subordinate of President Xi Jinping, is expected to be appointed mayor of Shanghai, replacing Yang Xiong at the helm of the mainland’s commercial hub. Ying, 59, worked under Xi during his tenure as Zhejiang Communist Party chief from 2003 to 2007, and becomes the latest trusted subordinate of the president to take a leading position in a key provincial-level region. According to two local government sources who were briefed on the personnel change, the elevation of Ying... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2057957/former-close-subordinate-xi-jinping-expected-become?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2057957/former-close-subordinate-xi-jinping-expected-become?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Dec 2016 10:45:45 +0000 A 54-year-old Chinese official has been named the provincial governor of Jilin, which shares a border of nearly 1,500km with North Korea, becoming the latest dark horse to emerge among China’s new generation of governors. Liu Guozhong, who had been Sichuan’s deputy Communist Party chief for just 10 months, has been quickly promoted again as the acting governor of Jilin, Xinhua reported. The top legislature in Jilin formally approved Liu as the provincial vice-governor and acting governor on... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2054291/former-deputy-party-boss-sichuan-named-head-jilin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2054291/former-deputy-party-boss-sichuan-named-head-jilin?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Dec 2016 00:30:15 +0000 China’s security chief Geng Huichang will likely step down soon from his position after being appointed to a senior role on an advisory panel for Hong Kong and Taiwan affairs. Geng, the minister of state security, was on Tuesday named deputy director of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee’s panel on Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and Overseas Chinese affairs, Xinhua reported. The CPPCC is China’s top political advisory body. Guess what India and China need... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2042266/chinas-minister-state-security-set-step-down-senior?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2042266/chinas-minister-state-security-set-step-down-senior?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Nov 2016 04:15:30 +0000 The Communist Party could be willing to bend unofficial age limits for the country’s most powerful political body, according to one of the men behind a key party statement released last week. Analysts said the comments by Deng Maosheng, who helped draft the communique for the Central Committee’s sixth plenum, were strong signals that the party’s top graft-buster could ­retain his seat on the Politburo Standing Committee next year. Five of the seven Standing Committee members will reach the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2041722/chance-chinas-top-graft-buster-break-long-standing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2041722/chance-chinas-top-graft-buster-break-long-standing?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 31 Oct 2016 15:30:30 +0000 The top Communist Party official overseeing the hi-tech hub of Shenzhen is tipped to head north to lead the government of a rust-belt province in a fresh round of senior personnel changes ahead of next year’s party congress, sources said on Sunday. Space scientist and Shenzhen party boss Ma Xingrui, 57, would soon be made Jilin province’s governor, filling the void left by Jiang Chaoliang, who was formally named Hubei’s party boss over the weekend, according to a Beijing-based source. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2041422/communist-party-boss-hi-tech-hub-shenzhen-head-north?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2041422/communist-party-boss-hi-tech-hub-shenzhen-head-north?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 31 Oct 2016 00:04:56 +0000