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Xi Jinping

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Xi Jinping
习近平
First Secretary of Secretariat of the Communist Party
Incumbent
Assumed office
22 October 2007
General SecretaryHu Jintao
Preceded byZeng Qinghong
8th Vice President of the People's Republic of China
Incumbent
Assumed office
15 March 2008
PresidentHu Jintao
Preceded byZeng Qinghong
Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the CPC
Incumbent
Assumed office
18 October 2010
Serving with Guo Boxiong and Xu Caihou
ChairmanHu Jintao
15th Communist Party Committee Secretary of Shanghai
In office
15 March 2007 – 27 October 2007
DeputyHan Zheng
Preceded byHan Zheng (Acting)
Succeeded byYu Zhengsheng
Personal details
Born (1953-06-01) 1 June 1953 (age 71)
Beijing, China
Political partyCommunist Party
SpousePeng Liyuan
ChildrenXi Mingze
ResidenceBeijing
Alma materTsinghua University
ProfessionChemical engineer
SignatureFile:Xi Jinping sign.jpg

Template:Fix bunching

Xi Jinping
Simplified Chinese习近平
Traditional Chinese習近平
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinXí Jìnpíng
Southern Min
Hokkien POJSip Kin-ping

Template:Fix bunching Xi Jinping (pronounced [ɕǐ tɕînpʰǐŋ]; simplified Chinese: 习近平; traditional Chinese: 習近平; pinyin: Xí Jìnpíng; born 1 June 1953) is a senior leader of the People's Republic of China. He currently serves as the top-ranking member of the Secretariat of the Communist Party of China, the country's Vice President, Vice-Chairman of the Central Military Commission, Principal of the Central Party School and the 6th ranked member of the Politburo Standing Committee, China's de facto top power organ.

Son of Communist veteran Xi Zhongxun, Xi Jinping served mostly in Fujian province in his early career, and was later appointed party chief of the neighboring Zhejiang province, and then was appointed as Shanghai's party chief following the dismissal of Chen Liangyu. Known for his liberal policies, tough stance on corruption, and a frank openness about political and market economy reforms,[1] Xi's combination of positions makes him the presumptive heir to current General Secretary and President Hu Jintao and the emerging leader of the Communist Party of China's fifth generation of leadership.[2]

Biography

Early life

Xi Jinping was born in June 1953 in Beijing and is, by Chinese convention, a native of Fuping County, Shaanxi, his ancestral home. He is the youngest son of Xi Zhongxun, one of the founders of the Communist guerrilla movement in Shaanxi Province in northern China and former Vice-Premier. At the time his father served as the head of the Communist Party's propaganda department, and later Vice-Chairman of the National People's Congress. When Xi was 10, during the Cultural Revolution, his father was purged and was sent to work in a factory in Luoyang, and jailed in 1968. Without the protection of his father, Xi went to work in Yanchuan County, Yan'an, Shaanxi, in 1969 in Mao Zedong's Down to the Countryside Movement. He later became the Party branch Secretary of the production team. When he left in 1975, he was only 22 years old. When asked about this experience later by state television, Xi recalled it saying, "...it was emotional. It was a mood. And when the ideals of the Cultural Revolution could not be realised, it proved an illusion...".[3]

From 1975 to 1979, Xi studied Chemical Engineering at Beijing's prestigious Tsinghua University. There were some questions about his educational background as it is believed he entered university without studying or completing high school and went to gain a doctorate without previously holding a masters.[4] From 1979 to 1982 he served as secretary for his father's former subordinate Geng Biao, the then vice premier and Secretary-General of the Central Military Commission. This gained Xi some military background.

Ascent

Xi joined the Communist Youth League in 1971 and the Communist Party of China in 1974. In 1982 he was sent to Zhengding County in Hebei as its party secretary. Xi subsequently served in four provinces during his political career: Shaanxi, Hebei, Fujian and Zhejiang.

Xi held Party positions in the CPC Fuzhou Municipal Committee, and became the president of the Party School in Fuzhou in 1990. In 1999 he was promoted to the Deputy Governor of Fujian province, then became Governor a year later. While there he made efforts to attract investment from Taiwan and to boost free market economy. In February 2000 he and provincial Party Secretary Chen Mingyi were called before the top four members of the Politburo Standing Committee - General Secretary, President Jiang Zemin, Premier Zhu Rongji, Vice-President Hu Jintao and Discipline Inspection head Wei Jianxing to explain aspects of the Yuanhua scandal.[5]

In 2002 Xi took up senior government and Party positions in Zhejiang Province, and eventually took over as party chief after several months as acting Governor, becoming the first-in-charge in the economically successful coastal province. Xi was then made an alternate member of the 15th CPC Central Committee and holds the membership of the 16th CPC Central Committee, marking his ascension to the national stage. While in Zhejiang, one of China's most affluent provinces and a center of China's successful economic development, Xi provided the economic environment which secured growth rates averaging 14% per year. His career in Zhejiang was marked by tough and straightforward stance against corrupt officials, which earned him a name on the national media and drew the attention of China's top leaders.

Following the dismissal of Shanghai Party Chief Chen Liangyu in September 2006 due to a social security fund scandal, Xi was transferred to Shanghai in March 2007 to become the new Party Chief of Shanghai. Xi's appointment to one of the most important regional posts in China was clearly a sign of confidence from the Central Government. While in Shanghai he was careful not to touch any controversial issues while largely echoing the line of the central leadership. Xi's career is notable in that during his regional tenures, he was never implicated in any serious scandals, nor did he face serious political opposition.

Joining the Standing Committee and Vice-Presidency

Xi Jinping shaking hands with United States President George W. Bush.

Xi's appointment to the Party Secretary post in Shanghai was seen as a stepping stone for him to become an emerging member of the fifth generation of Chinese leadership. This was solidified by his appointment as a member of the nine-man Politburo Standing Committee at the 17th Party Congress in October 2007. Xi was ranked above Li Keqiang, which made him the most likely candidate for China's next core figure - the paramount leader. This assessment was further supported at the 11th National People's Congress, Xi was elected as Vice-President of the People's Republic of China on 15 March 2008.[6] Some suggest this was because Xi had kept friendly relations with both Hu Jintao and the other power figure in the central leadership, Zeng Qinghong. In addition to these posts, Xi also held the top-ranking membership of the Communist Party's Secretariat.

Since his elevation Xi has held a broad range of portfolios. He was put in charge of the comprehensive preparations for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, as well as being the central government's leading figure in Hong Kong and Macau affairs. In addition, he also became the new Principal of the Central Party School, the cadre-training and ideological education wing of the Communist Party. In the wake of the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake, Xi visited disaster areas in Shaanxi and Gansu. Xi made his first foreign visit after his vice presidency to visit North Korea, Mongolia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Yemen from 17 to 25 June 2008.[7] After the Olympics, Xi was assigned the post of Committee Chair for the preparations of the 60th Anniversary Celebrations of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

Xi is considered to be one of the most successful members of the Crown Prince Party, a quasi-clique of politicians who are descendants of early Chinese revolutionaries. Senior leaders consider Xi to be an emerging figure that is open to serious dialogue about deep-seated market economic reforms and even political reform, although Xi's personal political views are relatively murky[clarification needed]. He is generally popular with foreign dignitaries, who are intrigued by his openness and pragmatism. Former Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew, when asked about Xi, said he felt he was "a thoughtful man who has gone through many trials and tribulations."[8] Lee also commented: "I would put him in the Nelson Mandela class of persons. A person with enormous emotional stability who does not allow his personal misfortunes or sufferings affect his judgment. In other words, he is impressive".[9] Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson is said to be a friend of Xi describing him as "the kind of guy who knows how to get things over the goal line."[10]

Tours

In February 2009, in his capacity as Vice-President, Xi Jinping embarked on a Latin American foreign trip to Mexico, Jamaica, Colombia, Venezuela, and Brazil to promote Chinese ties in the region and boost the country's reputation in the wake of the global financial crisis. Xi met with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

On 11 February, while visiting Mexico, Xi spoke in front of a group of overseas Chinese and explained China's contributions to the financial crisis, saying that it was "the greatest contribution towards the whole of human race, made by China, to prevent its 1.3 billion people from hunger". [11] He followed with a rather direct accusation for "foreigners" trying to interfere in Chinese affairs, a subject that has always been sensitive in Chinese political circles. In Chinese, Xi remarked: "There are some bored foreigners, with full stomachs, who have nothing better to do than point fingers at us [China]. First, China doesn't export Revolution; second, China doesn't export hunger and poverty; third, China doesn't come and cause you headaches, what more is there to be said?" [12] [13]

The story was reported on some local television stations. The news led to a flood of discussions on Chinese internet forums. It was reported that the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs was caught off-guard by Xi's non-diplomatic remarks, as the actual video was shot by some accompanying Hong Kong reporters and broadcast on Hong Kong TV, which then turned up in various internet video websites.[14]

Xi has since gone on a series of foreign visits, some say to burnish his foreign affairs credentials before he takes the helm of China's leadership. Xi visited Belgium, Germany, Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania from 7 to 21 October 2009.[15] Xi visited Japan, South Korea, Cambodia and Myanmar on his Asian trip from 14 to 22 December 2009.[16]

Political future

Xi was named as one of the most influential people in the world in the 2009 Time 100 list.[17] In September 2009, at the Fourth Plenum of the 17th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, Xi Jinping was not selected as the Vice-Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) as expected, raising some questions about his succession. Political analyst Cheng Li believes that Xi's failure to secure the CMC promotion was evidence that the Communist Party was developing internal checks and balances, giving way to more sophisticated mechanisms for leadership succession.[18] Hong Kong media outlet The Mirror (鏡報) reported that Xi himself was reluctant to enter the position and wrote a letter to General Secretary Hu Jintao and the party leadership, saying he needed to "focus on tasks at hand", and that discussing leadership changes at the Fourth Plenum would serve as a "distraction" for more important matters.[19] The British magazine New Statesman listed Xi Jinping at number 4 in their annual survey of "The World's 50 Most Influential Figures 2010".[20]

Xi has been appointed as one of the vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on 18 October 2010, a position Hu Jintao once held back in 1999 before taking over the secretaryship and the presidency years later.[21][22][23][24]

Family

Xi married the famous Chinese folk singer Peng Liyuan (彭丽媛) in 1987, his second marriage.[25] Peng Liyuan, a household name in China, was much better known to the public than Xi until his political elevation. The couple frequently live apart due to their largely separate lives. They are sometimes considered China's emerging star political couple. They have a daughter named Xi Mingze (习明泽), nicknamed Xiao Muzi (小木子)[26], who enrolled as a freshman at Harvard in the Fall of 2010 under a pseudonym.[27]

Peng has described Xi as frugal, hardworking and down to earth. "When he comes home, I've never thought of it as though there's some leader in the house. In my eyes, he's just my husband."[28]

See also

References

  1. ^ by Jonathan Ansfield (22 December 2007). "Xi Jinping: China's New Boss And The 'L' Word". Newsweek. Retrieved 20 October 2010.
  2. ^ "deckblatt-ca-data sup-form.pdf" (PDF). Retrieved 20 October 2010.
  3. ^ Jonathan Watts in Beijing. "Most corrupt officials are from poor families but Chinese royals have a spirit that is not dominated by money: The Guardian. Retrieved June 11 2008". Guardian. Retrieved 20 October 2010.
  4. ^ "Power Players: Xi Jinping". Apac2020.the-diplomat.com. Retrieved 20 October 2010.
  5. ^ Xiao Yu, Fujian leaders face Beijing top brass, South China Morning Post, 2000 Feb 18
  6. ^ "Hu Jintao reelected Chinese president", Xinhua (China Daily), 15 March 2008.
  7. ^ "Vice-President Xi Jinping to Visit DPRK, Mongolia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Yemen". Mfa.gov.cn. 5 June 2008. Retrieved 20 October 2010.
  8. ^ by Jonathan AnsfieldDecember 22, 2007 (22 December 2007). "Xi Jinping: China's New Boss And The 'L' Word". Newsweek. Retrieved 20 October 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ Time. 19 November 2007 http://china.blogs.time.com/2007/11/19/chinas_nelson_mandela/. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  10. ^ Tang, Eugene (15 March 2008). "China Appoints Xi Vice President, Heir Apparent to Hu. Retrieved June 11, 2008". Bloomberg. Retrieved 20 October 2010.
  11. ^ Original: simplified Chinese: 在国际金融风暴中，中国能基本解决13亿人口吃饭的问题，已经是对全人类最伟大的贡献; traditional Chinese: 在國際金融風暴中，中國能基本解決13億人口吃飯的問題，已經是對全人類最偉大的貢獻
  12. ^ Original: simplified Chinese: 有些吃饱没事干的外国人，对我们的事情指手画脚。中国一不输出革命，二不输出饥饿和贫困，三不折腾你们，还有什么好说的？; traditional Chinese: 有些吃飽沒事干的外國人，對我們的事情指手畫腳。中國一不輸出革命，二不輸出飢餓和貧困，三不折騰你們，還有什麽好說的？
  13. ^ "AsiaOne.com: Chinese VP blasts meddlesome foreigners". News.asiaone.com. 14 February 2009. Retrieved 20 October 2010.
  14. ^ 記者賴錦宏 (2009.02.18). "[[:Template:Zh icon]]:習近平出訪罵老外 外交部捏冷汗 Translation:Xi Jinping scored at foreigners, Ministry of foreign affairs had cold sweat". 聯合報. Retrieved 27 February 2009. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); URL–wikilink conflict (help) [dead link]
  15. ^ "Vice President Xi Jinping to visit Belgium, Germany, Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania and attend Europalia Chinese Art Festival and China's Guest-of-Honor Activities in Frankfurt Book Fair". Mfa.gov.cn. 10 October 2009. Retrieved 20 October 2010.
  16. ^ http://home.kyodo.co.jp/modules/fstStory/index.php?storyid=475518
  17. ^ "The 2009 Time 100". Time. 30 April 2009.
  18. ^ Garnaut, John (21 September 2009). "Chinese puzzle: who is Hu's heir?". The Age. Melbourne.
  19. ^ "習近平主動要求不進軍委 [Xi Jinping made a personal choice to not enter the CMC]" (in Traditional Chinese). Sina Hong Kong. Retrieved 13 December 2009.
  20. ^ "4. Xi Jinping - 50 People Who Matter 2010". New Statesman. UK. Retrieved 4 October 2010.
  21. ^ Demick, Barbara (19 October 2010). "Xi Jinping on track to become China's next president". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 19 October 2010.
  22. ^ Sainsbury, Michael (19 October 2010). "China vice-president Xi Jinping one step from the top job". The Australian. Retrieved 19 October 2010.
  23. ^ Tsang, Steve (18 October 2010). "China's succession 'arrangement'". BBC News. Retrieved 19 October 2010.
  24. ^ Fang, Yang (18 October 2010). "Xi Jinping appointed vice-chairman of Central Military Commission". Xinhua News Agency. Retrieved 19 October 2010.
  25. ^ Magnier, Mark (23 October 2007). "China's 'fifth generation' of leaders reflects nation's shifts". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 21 December 2009.
  26. ^ "习近平 彭丽媛：携手19年 家有小女习明泽(translation:Xi Jinping and Peng Liyuan: tied the knot for 19 years, had bred a daughter named Xi Mingze)" (in Template:Zh icon). Xinhua News Agency.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  27. ^ Liu, Melinda (18 January 2011). "Can't we just be friends?". Newsweek. Retrieved 19 January 2011.
  28. ^ . BBC News http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/in_depth/china_politics/leadership/html/6.stm. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
Wikiquote has quotations related to Xi Jinping.


Party political offices
Preceded by Communist Party Committee Secretary of Zhejiang
2002–2007 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Communist Party Committee Secretary of Shanghai
2007 		Succeeded by
Preceded by First Secretary of Secretariat of the Communist Party
2007–present 		Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by Governor of Fujian
1999–2002 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Governor of Zhejiang
Acting
2002–2003 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Chairperson of the People's Congress Standing Committee of Zhejiang
2003–2007 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Vice President of the People's Republic of China
2008–present 		Incumbent
Academic offices
Preceded by President of the Central Party School
2007–present 		Incumbent


Members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the 20th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party
[1]
Rank Portrait Name Hanzi 19th PSC Birth PM Birthplace Academic attainment No. of offices Ref.
1 Xi Jinping Xi Jinping 习近平 Old 1953 1974 Beijing
Graduate
Eleven
 [2]
2 Li Qiang Li Qiang 李强 New 1959 1983 Zhejiang
Graduate
Eight
 [3]
3 Zhao Leji Zhao Leji 赵乐际 Old 1957 1975 Qinghai
Graduate
One
 [4]
4 Wang Huning Wang Huning 王沪宁 Old 1955 1984 Shanghai
Graduate
One
 [5]
5 Cai Qi Cai Qi 蔡奇 New 1955 1975 Fujian
Graduate
Three
 [6]
6 Ding Xuexiang Ding Xuexiang 丁薛祥 New 1962 1984 Jiangsu
Graduate
One
 [7]
7 Li Xi Li Xi 李希 New 1956 1982 Gansu
Graduate
Two
 [8]

Template:Persondata

  1. ^ "Chinese Government Leadership". US-China Business Council. 7 October 2013. Archived from the original on 27 April 2023. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  2. ^ Li, Cheng. "Xi Jinping 习近平" (PDF). Brookings Institution. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 May 2023. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  3. ^ Li, Cheng. "Li Qiang 李强" (PDF). Brookings Institution. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 July 2023. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  4. ^ Li, Cheng. "Zhao Leji 赵乐际" (PDF). Brookings Institution. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 December 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  5. ^ Li, Cheng. "Wang Huning 王沪宁" (PDF). Brookings Institution. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 November 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  6. ^ Li, Cheng. "Cai Qi 蔡奇" (PDF). Brookings Institution. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 May 2023. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  7. ^ Li, Cheng. "Ding Xuexiang 丁薛祥" (PDF). Brookings Institution. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 May 2023. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  8. ^ Li, Cheng. "Li Xi 李希" (PDF). Brookings Institution. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 October 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
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