https://www.scmp.com/rss/323486/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com President Xi Jinping’s bold plan to transform China’s increasingly complex financial agencies has made his trusted aide Liu He the most likely candidate to head the central bank, according to sources close to the People’s Bank of China. The Harvard-educated technocrat – and President Xi Jinping’s right-hand man on economic policy – is highly likely to succeed 70-year-old Zhou Xiaochuan as head of the central bank after China’s annual legislative session is held next month, people with knowledge... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/2134577/why-chinas-top-economic-adviser-liu-he-could-be-next-central-bank?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/2134577/why-chinas-top-economic-adviser-liu-he-could-be-next-central-bank?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Feb 2018 14:00:00 +0000 Promoting young cadres was not a priority for Communist Party members in Beijing last month when they voted on the membership of its new Central Committee, the largest of the party’s elite ruling bodies. Only two of the 376 members of the new body were born in the 1970s, making it the oldest Central Committee in three decades. That’s a stark contrast to the Central Committee formed a decade earlier, which was the youngest in half a century and included 25 people born in the 1960s. The two... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2118939/why-chinese-communist-partys-largest-elite-body-now-has?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2118939/why-chinese-communist-partys-largest-elite-body-now-has?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Nov 2017 06:07:32 +0000 Of the three political parties today that pack serious global pop – the Communist Party in China, and the Democratic and Republican parties in America – China’s comes across right now as the least disorganised and ineffective. Even so, is it possible President Xi Jinping is now less like an all-powerful Mao Zedong and more like a coalition-canny Abraham Lincoln, whose cabinet famously included quarrelling voices? Some 19th party congress evaluators size up the new Politburo Standing Committee as... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2118604/can-chinas-ideology-tsar-wang-huning-be-steadying-hand-sino?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2118604/can-chinas-ideology-tsar-wang-huning-be-steadying-hand-sino?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Nov 2017 09:47:01 +0000 A poverty-stricken province in southwestern China is becoming one of the surest routes to the top of the Communist Party under Xi Jinping. In the eyes of many Chinese communists, the heavily rural province of Guizhou is taking on the status of what one analyst described as a “Holy Land”, serving as a showcase for the president’s achievements and a testing ground for some of the country’s most powerful men. The highest-ranked Guizhou veteran is Li Zhanshu, a top aide to Xi who entered the party’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2117430/how-poor-rural-province-became-promised-land-chinas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2117430/how-poor-rural-province-became-promised-land-chinas?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Oct 2017 03:00:40 +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 After the Communist Party unveiled its new leadership line-up on Wednesday, the question now on everyone’s lips is who will become the new bosses of Guangdong province and Shanghai, China’s two most important economic centres. The guessing game was made more complicated by the fact that the two people previously considered front runners for the positions – Guangdong governor Ma Xingrui and Shanghai mayor Ying Yong – failed to secure seats on the 25-member Politburo. In the past, the two jobs... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2117186/shanghai-guangdong-party-boss-vacancies-coming-soon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2117186/shanghai-guangdong-party-boss-vacancies-coming-soon?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Oct 2017 03:00:32 +0000 China’s Communist Party unveiled its new leadership team on Wednesday. The membership of the party’s supreme decision-making body, the Politburo Standing Committee, remains at seven. Other than Xi Jinping and Li Keqiang, the other five members of the committee are new faces following the retirement of the previous members. The six other Standing Committee members will play a key role in affirming the core leadership of Xi, who has had his name enshrined in the party charter. The party also... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2116951/premier-lis-second-term-likonomics-following-orders?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2116951/premier-lis-second-term-likonomics-following-orders?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Oct 2017 12:45:00 +0000 Zhao Leji is one of the new members of the Communist Party’s Politburo Standing Committee. Here we present a snapshot of his career: As the Communist Party’s personnel chief, Zhao Leji’s big job has been to fill the vacancies left by a legion of cadres caught up in the president’s anti-corruption campaign. Now he is filling a vacancy himself by taking up a seat at the top table of power in China, the Politburo Standing Committee. At 60, Zhao is the youngest of the group of seven, giving him a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2116740/zhao-leji-younger-gun-playing-second-fiddle-xi-jinping?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2116740/zhao-leji-younger-gun-playing-second-fiddle-xi-jinping?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Oct 2017 11:00:00 +0000 Wang Yang is one of the new members of the Communist Party’s Politburo Standing Committee. Here we present a snapshot of his career: Wang Yang, who has just been named as one of China’s top leaders, is perhaps best known outside the country for the unlikely image of a senior Chinese politician cracking jokes at a Sino-US summit. Wang broke the stereotype of the humourless and bland Chinese Communist Party technocrat by jesting that China and America’s relationship was like a marriage, but then... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2116738/wang-yang-joker-and-reformer-xi-jinpings-new-pack?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2116738/wang-yang-joker-and-reformer-xi-jinpings-new-pack?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Oct 2017 11:00:00 +0000 Han Zheng is one of the new members of the Communist Party’s Politburo Standing Committee. Here we examine his path to a seat at the innermost decision-making body: If Shanghai Communist Party boss Han Zheng has proved anything over the past decade it is that he knows how to navigate choppy waters. In 2008, Han, then the financial hub’s mayor, looked to be heading for the exit rather than the highest reaches of power, as his immediate boss was ordered to serve 18 years behind bars for his role... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2116965/han-zheng-chinese-technocrat-who-rose-top-staying?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2116965/han-zheng-chinese-technocrat-who-rose-top-staying?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Oct 2017 11:00:00 +0000 Li Zhanshu is one of the new members of the Communist Party’s Politburo Standing Committee. Here we take a dive into his background: When Li Zhanshu was named de facto chief of staff to the head of China’s Communist Party five years ago, just months before Xi Jinping became its leader, few people expected he would one day ascend to the party’s apex of power. But his “election” to the party’s supreme Politburo Standing Committee on Wednesday, ranking just after Xi and Premier Li Keqiang, was no... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2116576/li-zhanshu-key-aide-chinas-xi-jinping-vaults-top?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2116576/li-zhanshu-key-aide-chinas-xi-jinping-vaults-top?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Oct 2017 11:00:00 +0000 Wang Huning is one of the new members of the Communist Party’s Politburo Standing Committee. Here we have a look at his road to the top: Despite having served as an adviser to three Chinese presidents, remarkably little is known about the personal life of Wang Huning, who as the top official in charge of ideology, propaganda and party organisation is now one of the most powerful politicians in the country. While his face might be unfamiliar to the public, his words will not be. Wang has been... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2116964/wang-huning-low-profile-liberal-dream-weaver-whos-about?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2116964/wang-huning-low-profile-liberal-dream-weaver-whos-about?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Oct 2017 11:00:00 +0000 General Zhang Youxia is one of the two vice-chairmen of the Central Military Commission. Here we take a look at his career: General Zhang Youxia, 67, a close ally of President Xi Jinping, was promoted to second-ranked vice-chairman of China’s powerful Central Military Commission (CMC) at the first plenum of the Communist Party’s new Central Committee on Wednesday. The former director of the CMC’s Equipment Development Department is widely considered one of the men party chief and CMC chairman Xi... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2116936/general-zhang-youxia-xi-jinpings-sworn-brother-now-his?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2116936/general-zhang-youxia-xi-jinpings-sworn-brother-now-his?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Oct 2017 10:06:51 +0000 General Xu Qiliang is one of the two vice-chairmen of the Central Military Commission. Here we present a snapshot of his career: General Xu Qiliang, who joined the air force when he was only 16, climbed to the top of the military ladder on Wednesday when he became the top-ranked vice-chairman of China’s powerful Central Military Commission (CMC), which is chaired by Communist Party general secretary Xi Jinping. The promotion, announced by the first plenum of the party’s new Central Committee,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2116939/general-xu-qiliang-how-chinese-air-force-top-gun-shot?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2116939/general-xu-qiliang-how-chinese-air-force-top-gun-shot?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Oct 2017 10:04:39 +0000 The top decision-making bodies of China’s Communist Party are expected to be dominated by allies of party chief Xi Jinping for the next five years, with the line-up to be revealed on Wednesday. But beneath those leadership roles, Xi allies and proteges are also poised to control the party’s General Office, which serves as its nerve centre, and the Central Secretariat, which deals with the day-to-day running of the party Politburo and its Standing Committee. Ding Xuexiang, a trusted Xi aide, is... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2116689/meet-xi-jinping-allies-line-become-chinese-leaders-new?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2116689/meet-xi-jinping-allies-line-become-chinese-leaders-new?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Oct 2017 07:36:56 +0000 President Xi Jinping’s trusted economic adviser Liu He is in line for promotion to the role of Communist Party principal theorist, taking over from fellow academic and politician Wang Huning, the South China Morning Post has learned. Wang is likely to be elevated to the party’s highest decision-making body, the Politburo Standing Committee – as revealed earlier by the Post in an exclusive report. The changes will be made at the party’s twice-a-decade national congress that is under way in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2116549/xi-finds-perfect-position-trusted-adviser-liu-he?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2116549/xi-finds-perfect-position-trusted-adviser-liu-he?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Oct 2017 12:30:00 +0000 Wang Qishan, the feared anti-graft tsar billed as “China’s second most powerful man”, is likely to step down from the ruling Communist Party’s supreme Politburo Standing Committee on Wednesday, sources have told the South China Morning Post. On Sunday, delegates to the party’s national congress in Beijing held closed-door meetings to discuss the lists of candidates for its elite Central Committee and anti-graft watchdog, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. Two sources who have seen... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2116284/hes-anti-graft-tsar-about-leave-chinas-top-leadership?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2116284/hes-anti-graft-tsar-about-leave-chinas-top-leadership?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Oct 2017 06:02:19 +0000 The Communist Party’s principal theorist, Wang Huning, is odds-on to climb to the top rung on the ladder, the Politburo Standing Committee, when the party unveils its new leadership line-up next Wednesday, sources have told the South China Morning Post. A distinguished scholar-politician who has helped shape the official party ideology for three presidents – Jiang Zemin, Hu Jintao and Xi Jinping – Wang’s elevation may come as a surprise to some because the party traditionally prefers members of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2116222/dream-come-true-communist-ideologist-behind-three?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2116222/dream-come-true-communist-ideologist-behind-three?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Oct 2017 00:00:15 +0000 China is likely to name Guo Shuqing, a key figure in China’s market reform camp as the next central bank governor, two independent sources have told the South China Morning Post. Guo, the current chairman of the China Banking Regulatory Commission, is currently ahead of the other candidates for the post – including Jiang Chaoliang, the Hubei party secretary; Yi Gang, a deputy governor at the People’s Bank of China and Liu Shiyu, the chairman of China Securities Regulatory Commission – said one... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2116293/liberal-market-reformer-set-be-named-chinas-next?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2116293/liberal-market-reformer-set-be-named-chinas-next?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Oct 2017 10:30:30 +0000 During the first two days of the party congress, various delegations have held discussions about Xi Jinping’s work report. The panels, some of them open to non-mainland media, are important occasions for politicians to publicly demonstrate their unflinching loyalty to General Secretary Xi and to heap praise on the powerful leader. Xi summed up his accomplishments and unveiled his own political philosophy – “socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era” – in a 3½-hour speech at the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2116174/top-politicians-gather-heap-praise-xi-jinpings-work?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2116174/top-politicians-gather-heap-praise-xi-jinpings-work?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Oct 2017 14:18:10 +0000 China’s central bank governor Zhou Xiaochuan turned the tables on reporters on Thursday when asked who might replace him when he steps down after 15 years in charge. “Who do you think?” the 69-year-old replied with a smile. The veteran banker is expected to announce his retirement soon, bringing to an end a long and illustrious career at the People’s Bank of China (PBOC). Since taking office in late 2002, Zhou has helped to steer China’s financial reforms and monetary policy, and in doing so has... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/2116098/wholl-be-next-boss-chinas-central-bank-thats-just-what-governor?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/2116098/wholl-be-next-boss-chinas-central-bank-thats-just-what-governor?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Oct 2017 07:34:53 +0000 Emerging from his first term as China’s most powerful leader in decades, President Xi Jinping will be looking to dominate personnel decisions at a five-yearly shake-up later this month. At that much-anticipated meeting, which begins on October 18, the line-up will be unveiled for the Politburo and its Standing Committee – the country’s top echelons of power – for Xi’s second term at the helm of the world’s largest political party. Xi’s first term line-up was a compromise influenced by his two... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2114016/friends-high-places-xi-jinpings-determined-path-control?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2114016/friends-high-places-xi-jinpings-determined-path-control?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Oct 2017 13:30:00 +0000 A thick fog of politics has engulfed Beijing, and it will not lift until October or early November, when the 19th Congress of the Communist Party has concluded. But occasional events and patterns from the past give us scope to peep through gaps in the murk, and identify some pointers of what to expect at the 19th congress. The placing under investigation of Sun Zhengcai (孫政才), a Politburo member and Chongqing (重慶) party ­secretary, is one such occasion. This is a landmark development, as only... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2103271/what-potential-successors-fate-says-about-xi-jinpings?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2103271/what-potential-successors-fate-says-about-xi-jinpings?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Jul 2017 09:30:45 +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 China has appointed Chen Miner, a rising political star, as the Communist Party boss in southwestern Chongqing, cementing his credentials as a contender to join the upper echelon of the party at its five-yearly congress this autumn. The possible elevation of Chen, a trusted confidant of President Xi Jinping, will be a sign of Xi flexing his political muscle during the leadership reshuffle. Chen will take over the Chongqing role from Sun Zhengcai, Xinhua reported. How China’s regional chiefs use... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2102775/chinas-rising-political-star-chen-miner-appointed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2102775/chinas-rising-political-star-chen-miner-appointed?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 Jul 2017 05:12:39 +0000 Some contenders for top Communist Party leadership positions in China appear to have taken a leaf out of US President Donald Trump’s book by resorting to flattery and “truthful hyperbole” in recent speeches to provincial party congresses. In his 1987 book The Art of the Deal, Trump emphasised the value of “an innocent form of exaggeration” in winning over support. Guangdong party secretary Hu Chunhua mentioned party general secretary Xi Jinping’s name 26 times in his keynote address to the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2096635/how-chinas-regional-chiefs-use-trump-tactic-race-top?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2096635/how-chinas-regional-chiefs-use-trump-tactic-race-top?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Jun 2017 04:23:54 +0000 Beijing’s new Communist Party boss is not afraid to be different. Unlike most officials, Cai Qi (蔡奇) does not dye his hair to look younger. He’s also a fan of the US TV show House of Cards and is on the record as an avid user of Apple’s iPhone and iPad. In addition to personal style, Cai, 60, has political substance. He has rocketed up party ranks in the last four years, rising from a modest official position in Zhejiang province to take the top municipal job in the capital in a promotion that... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2095961/rise-and-rise-xi-jinpings-new-man-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2095961/rise-and-rise-xi-jinpings-new-man-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 May 2017 16:30:30 +0000 Guangdong Communist Party boss Hu Chunhua made a high-profile declaration of his political loyalty in front of the provincial party congress on Monday. He repeatedly mentioned President Xi Jinping in his nearly 100-minute speech, referring to him as the party’s core and stressing the importance of concepts earlier proposed by the state leader. Hu’s speech comes ahead of China’s major leadership reshuffle this autumn, in which he stands a strong chance of being named as one of the handful of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2095340/guangdong-party-chief-hu-chunhua-spells-out-his-loyalty?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2095340/guangdong-party-chief-hu-chunhua-spells-out-his-loyalty?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 May 2017 07:00:00 +0000 China’s Communist Party has decided that veterans of the country’s space programme have the right stuff for promotion to important political roles in key provinces. Giving new meaning to the term high-flier, four aerospace engineers have become provincial governors in the past four years. Ma Xingrui, a former general manager of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASTC), became governor of Guangdong, the province with the biggest economy, last year. Xu Dazhe, a fellow with... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2092940/how-leaders-chinas-space-programme-entered-political?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2092940/how-leaders-chinas-space-programme-entered-political?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 May 2017 13:32:02 +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 Shanghai Communist Party boss Han Zheng is one of the top contenders for a seat on the Politburo Standing Committee later this year, following in the footsteps of other leaders of China’s commercial capital. It would prove that persistence pays off, with the 63-year-old not even counted among potential dark horses a decade ago when political analysts were compiling lists of rising political stars on the mainland. If he does secure a seat on the innermost Politburo Standing Committee at the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2075151/tenacious-political-survivor-tipped-key-economic-role?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2075151/tenacious-political-survivor-tipped-key-economic-role?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Mar 2017 03:33:26 +0000 The ideas and capabilities of a new generation of economic policymakers taking centre stage in Beijing will determine whether China moves further towards an open and ordered market economy. The South China Morning Post today continues a series looking at those likely to shape China’s economic future. When Liu Shiyu was named head of China’s stock market watchdog a year ago, analysts in Beijing joked that he was taking over “the least wanted job” in town. After a spectacular rout the previous... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2072982/can-head-chinas-stock-market-watchdog-hunt-down?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2072982/can-head-chinas-stock-market-watchdog-hunt-down?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Mar 2017 08:00:45 +0000 At the World Economic Forum in Davos in 1993, Liu He, then a junior Chinese government official, attended a round-table debate about the future of the world’s economy. “I was the lowest-ranking official at the table but got most of the questions,” Liu recalled in an article published in 2008. He wrote that Lee Kuan Yew, the founding prime minister of Singapore, told him China had to pay attention to urbanisation. “China’s biggest challenge is urbanisation ... it is a process that will change... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2074276/xis-right-hand-man-can-see-big-picture?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2074276/xis-right-hand-man-can-see-big-picture?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Mar 2017 00:00:30 +0000 Just three months after former Tibet party boss Chen Quanguo took up his new post in Xinjiang, the far western frontier is implementing new security and surveillance measures – policies its Tibetan neighbours to the south are only too familiar with. Since October, residents in many parts of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, both the predominantly Muslim Uygurs and the Han, have been told to hand over their passports to local police for safekeeping, according to police notices circulating... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2053739/party-high-flier-uses-his-tibet-model-bid-tame-xinjiang?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2053739/party-high-flier-uses-his-tibet-model-bid-tame-xinjiang?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Dec 2016 00:00:30 +0000 A deputy director of the Communist Party’s Central National Security Commission was appointed as the acting mayor of Beijing on Monday, according to mainland media reports. The appointment of Cai Qi was announced by Beijing party chief Guo Jinlong, Beijing Daily reported, confirming a South China Morning Post report about Cai’s move on Sunday. “Cai has strong political sensitivity and is loyal to the party,” Guo was quoted as saying. Guo praised Cai for having a broad range of experience,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2041692/chinese-presidential-ally-named-new-acting-mayor?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2041692/chinese-presidential-ally-named-new-acting-mayor?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 31 Oct 2016 12:56:09 +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 A close ally of President Xi Jinping is tipped to be the new mayor of Beijing, according to several independent sources. Cai Qi, the deputy director of the Central National Security Commission (CNSC), which was created and chaired by Xi, would replace current Mayor Wang Anshun, who is rumoured to be moving to the Development Research Centre of the State Council, sources told the Sunday Morning Post. The appointment of Cai, 61, could be the start of a new round of personnel changes after the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/2041312/close-ally-xi-jinping-tipped-be-new-mayor-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/2041312/close-ally-xi-jinping-tipped-be-new-mayor-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 29 Oct 2016 23:00:30 +0000 Shanghai-based officials continue to show their influence on the national political stage through several senior appointments unveiled ahead of the Communist Party’s five-yearly leadership reshuffle late next year. Despite President Xi Jinping spending less than a year as party chief of Shanghai, several of his colleagues from that era have been promoted to key jobs in the last few months after rising from modest positions. Since the founding of the People’s Republic in 1949, Shanghai has been... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2040412/xi-era-shanghai-talent-leaping-chinese-communist-partys?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2040412/xi-era-shanghai-talent-leaping-chinese-communist-partys?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Oct 2016 00:00:15 +0000 A dozen provincial chiefs have been invited as observers to a key Communist Party meeting in Beijing this week, making them front runners for promotion to the inner circle next year, according to local media reports. The provincial chiefs are not members of the elite Central Committee, which starts a four-day meeting in the capital on Monday, but could be promoted at the five-yearly party congress in 2017. The meeting is also expected to result in the elevation of a number of alternate committee... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2039416/dozen-chinese-provincial-chiefs-tipped-advance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2039416/dozen-chinese-provincial-chiefs-tipped-advance?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Oct 2016 00:02:59 +0000 A survivor of political storms in Chongqing and Shanxi has been appointed the deputy Communist Party chief of China’s affluent eastern province of Jiangsu as well as the top party official of its capital, Nanjing. The appointment of Wu Zheng­long, 52, the outgoing party secretary of the Shanxi provincial capital Taiyuan, to Jiangsu was reported by Nanjing Daily Wednesday afternoon, confirming a South China Morning Post report. A source in Shanxi said Wu’s move would pave the way for the rest of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2027350/promotion-cards-political-survivor-who-worked-disgraced?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2027350/promotion-cards-political-survivor-who-worked-disgraced?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Oct 2016 06:30:45 +0000 When Li Hongzhong was announced as Tianjin’s new Communist Party boss earlier this month, mainland journalists’ began recirculating jokes about his infamous seizure of a reporter’s voice recorder six years ago after she confronted him with a sensitive question. But political analysts speculate the posting could signal the 60-year-old is the among first front runners for promotion to the party’s key decision-making Politburo in a leadership reshuffle scheduled for late next year. The harder he... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2021920/tianjins-new-communist-party-chief-among-first-front?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2021920/tianjins-new-communist-party-chief-among-first-front?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Sep 2016 03:00:00 +0000 Hubei provincial party secretary Li Hongzhong has been appointed Tianjin’s party chief – making him a strong contender to become a member of the ruling Communist Party’s Politburo in the upcoming power reshuffle. Li, 60, the former party chief of Shenzhen, was named the municipal party secretary in Tianjin, succeeding Huang Xingguo, who was the acting party head for almost two years and also mayor of the northern municipality, Xinhua reported on Tuesday. Acting Communist Party chief of Tianjin... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2018917/rising-star-hubei-communist-party-secretary-li?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2018917/rising-star-hubei-communist-party-secretary-li?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Sep 2016 05:15:00 +0000 Some Communist Party officials are on track to higher political ­office and allies of President Xi Jinping are in key positions after the latest round of personnel changes on the weekend. One of the political rising stars is Chen Quanguo, who was named party chief of Xinjiang, a post that usually comes with a seat on the decision-making Politburo. Xinjiang Communist Party chief ‘on his way out’ as Beijing reshuffles top provincial jobs Chen, 60, the former party chief of Tibet, would replace... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2010359/shanxi-provincial-governor-tipped-be-transport-minister?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2010359/shanxi-provincial-governor-tipped-be-transport-minister?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Aug 2016 15:15:00 +0000 More rising political stars have fallen off the ladder to top Communist Party jobs since the 18th party congress, less than four years ago, than in the previous 91 years of party history. Thirteen of the 171 alternate members of the party’s 18th Central Committee have fallen to earth since the November 2012 congress. Before that, only nine had been ousted since the founding of the party in 1921. It’s not necessary for Xi to target all morally degraded officials Johnny Lau Yui-siu, Veteran... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1986667/why-13-unlucky-number-chinas-would-be-communist-party?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1986667/why-13-unlucky-number-chinas-would-be-communist-party?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Jul 2016 08:45:15 +0000