Xi Jinping ' onMouseout='HidePop("32190")' href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Beijing">Beijing
Beijing is a metropolis in northern China and the capital of the People's Republic of China...
) is a senior leader of the
People's Republic of ChinaThe People's Republic of China , commonly known as China, is the largest country in East Asia and the most populous in the world with over 1.3 billion people, approximately one-fifth of the world's population...
. He currently serves as the country's
Vice PresidentThe Vice President of the People's Republic of China , literally Vice Chairman of the People's Republic of China, or abbreviated Guójiā Fù Zhǔxí 国家副主席, literally Vice State Chairman) is a senior position in the government of the People's Republic of China.-Selection and Powers:The office was...
, the top-ranking member of the Secretariat of the Communist Party of China, 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 ZhongxunXi Zhongxun was a communist revolutionary and a State Councillor of the People's Republic of China. He is considered to be among the first generation of Chinese leadership.-Biography:...
, Xi Jinping served mostly in
Fujian' is a province on the southeast coast of China. Fujian borders Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
province in his early career, and was later appointed party chief of the neighbor
ZhejiangZhejiang is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. The word Zhejiang was the old name of the Qiantang River, which passes through Hangzhou, the provincial capital...
province, and then was appointed as
ShanghaiShanghai is the largest city in China, and one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world, with over 20 million people. Located on China's central eastern coast at the mouth of the Yangtze River, the city is administered as a municipality of the People's Republic of China with province-level...
's party chief following the dismissal of
Chen LiangyuChen Liangyu was a politician of the People's Republic of China from the ruling Communist Party, and the disgraced CPC Shanghai Committee Secretary, or the city's first-in-charge....
.
Xi Jinping ' onMouseout='HidePop("32190")' href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Beijing">Beijing
Beijing is a metropolis in northern China and the capital of the People's Republic of China...
) is a senior leader of the
People's Republic of ChinaThe People's Republic of China , commonly known as China, is the largest country in East Asia and the most populous in the world with over 1.3 billion people, approximately one-fifth of the world's population...
. He currently serves as the country's
Vice PresidentThe Vice President of the People's Republic of China , literally Vice Chairman of the People's Republic of China, or abbreviated Guójiā Fù Zhǔxí 国家副主席, literally Vice State Chairman) is a senior position in the government of the People's Republic of China.-Selection and Powers:The office was...
, the top-ranking member of the Secretariat of the Communist Party of China, 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 ZhongxunXi Zhongxun was a communist revolutionary and a State Councillor of the People's Republic of China. He is considered to be among the first generation of Chinese leadership.-Biography:...
, Xi Jinping served mostly in
Fujian' is a province on the southeast coast of China. Fujian borders Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
province in his early career, and was later appointed party chief of the neighbor
ZhejiangZhejiang is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. The word Zhejiang was the old name of the Qiantang River, which passes through Hangzhou, the provincial capital...
province, and then was appointed as
ShanghaiShanghai is the largest city in China, and one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world, with over 20 million people. Located on China's central eastern coast at the mouth of the Yangtze River, the city is administered as a municipality of the People's Republic of China with province-level...
's party chief following the dismissal of
Chen LiangyuChen Liangyu was a politician of the People's Republic of China from the ruling Communist Party, and the disgraced CPC Shanghai Committee Secretary, or the city's first-in-charge....
. Known for his liberal policies, tough stance on corruption, and a frank openness about political and market economy reforms, Xi's combination of positions makes him the heir presumptive to current Chinese paramount leader
Hu JintaoHu Jintao is currently the Paramount Leader of the People's Republic of China, holding the titles of General Secretary of the Communist Party of China since 2002, President of the People's Republic of China since 2003, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission since 2004, succeeding Jiang...
and the emerging leader of the
People's Republic of ChinaThe People's Republic of China , commonly known as China, is the largest country in East Asia and the most populous in the world with over 1.3 billion people, approximately one-fifth of the world's population...
's
fifth generation of leadershipBecause both the Communist Party of China and the People's Liberation Army promote according to seniority, it is possible to discern distinct generations of Chinese leadership...
.
Early life
Xi Jinping was born in June 1953 in Beijing, and is by Chinese convention, a native of
Fuping County, ShaanxiFuping County is a county in Weinan City, Shaanxi Province of China.It's located in center of Shaanxi Province.Area: 1233 km2; Population: 750,000; Postal Code: 711700...
, his ancestral home. He is the youngest son of
Xi ZhongxunXi Zhongxun was a communist revolutionary and a State Councillor of the People's Republic of China. He is considered to be among the first generation of Chinese leadership.-Biography:...
, one of the founders of the Communist guerrilla movement in
Shaanxi' is a province in the Northwest China region of the People's Republic of China, and includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River as well as the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of the province.-Romanization and Name:By regular Hanyu Pinyin rules, if...
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 CongressThe National People's Congress , abbreviated NPC , is the highest state body and only legislative house in the People's Republic of China. The National People's Congress is held in the Great Hall of the People, Beijing, capital of the People's Republic of China...
. At age 10, during the Cultural Revolution, Xi's father was purged and was sent to work in a factory in
LuoyangLuoyang is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province, People's Republic of China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang to the south, Sanmenxia to the west, Jiyuan to the north, and Jiaozuo to the northeast.Situated on the...
, and jailed in 1968. Without the protection of his father, Xi went to work in
Yanchuan CountyYanchuan County is a county in Yan'an City, Shaanxi Province of China.Total area: 1941 km2. Total population is 180,000 in 2002.-External links:*...
,
Shanxi' is a province in the northern part of the People's Republic of China. Its one-character abbreviation is Jin , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....
, in 1969 in
Mao ZedongMao Zedong was a Chinese revolutionary, political theorist and Communist leader. He led the People's Republic of China from its establishment in 1949 until his death in 1976...
's Socialist Re-education movement (Chinese:知識青年上山下鄉運動). 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...".
From 1975 to 1979 during
Cultural RevolutionThe Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution was a period of widespread social and political upheaval in the People’s Republic of China between 1966 and 1976, resulting in nation-wide chaos and economic disarray.It was launched by Mao Zedong, the chairman of the Communist Party of China, on May 16,...
, Xi studied Chemical Engineering at Beijing's prestigious
Tsinghua UniversityTsinghua University , is a university in Beijing, People's Republic of China. Tsinghua University was established in 1911, originally under the name “Tsinghua Xuetang”. The school was renamed the "Tsinghua School" in 1912. The university section was founded in 1925 and the name “National Tsinghua...
. From 1979 to 1982 he worked for his father's former subordinate Geng Biao in the General Office of the Central Military Commission (as an officer in active service) gained some military background.
Rising through the ranks
Xi joined the
Communist Youth LeagueThe Communist Youth League of China also known as the China Youth League is a youth movement of the People's Republic of China for youth between the ages of fourteen and twenty-eight, run by Communist Party of China. The league is organized on the party pattern...
in 1971 and the
Communist Party of ChinaThe Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and the ruling political party of the People's Republic of China and the world's largest political party...
in 1974. In 1982 he was sent to Zhengding County in
Hebei' is a northern province of the People's Republic of China. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province , a Han Dynasty province that included southern Hebei...
as its party secretary. Xi subsequently served in four provinces during his political career: Shaanxi,
Hebei' is a northern province of the People's Republic of China. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province , a Han Dynasty province that included southern Hebei...
, Fujian and Zhejiang.
Xi held Party positions in the CPC
Fuzhou' is the capital and the largest municipality of Fujian province, People's Republic of China.The city is also referred to as Rongcheng ' ' onMouseout='HidePop("62889")' href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Fujian">Fujian
' is a province on the southeast coast of China. Fujian borders Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
province, then Governor a year later. While there he made efforts to attract investment from
TaiwanTaiwan , also known as Formosa , is the largest island of the Republic of China in East Asia. Taiwan is located east of the Taiwan Strait, off the southeastern coast of mainland China...
and to boost free market economy. In Feb 2000 he and provincial Party Secretary
Chen MingyiChen Mingyi is a politician of the People's Republic of China. Chen was born in Fuzhou, Fujian Province. He joined Communist Party of China in 1960...
were called before the top four members of the Politburo Standing Committee - State Chair
Jiang ZeminJiang Zemin is the "core of the third generation" of Communist Party of China leaders, serving as General Secretary of the Communist Party of China from 1989 to 2002, as President of the People's Republic of China from 1993 to 2003, and as Chairman of the Central Military Commission from 1989 to...
, Premier
Zhu RongjiZhū Róngjī is a prominent Chinese politician who served as the Mayor and Party chief in Shanghai between 1987 and 1991, before serving as Vice-Premier and then Premier of the People's Republic of China from March 1998 to March 2003.A tough administrator, his time in office saw the continued...
, Vice-President
Hu JintaoHu Jintao is currently the Paramount Leader of the People's Republic of China, holding the titles of General Secretary of the Communist Party of China since 2002, President of the People's Republic of China since 2003, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission since 2004, succeeding Jiang...
and Discipline Inspection head (graft czar)
Wei JianxingWei Jianxing is a former senior leader in Communist Party of China, a standing committee member of politburo in CPC, the secretary of Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China, and the chairman of All-China Federation of Trade Unions.Wei Jianxing was born in...
to explain aspects of the Yuanhua scandal.
In 2002 Xi took up senior government and Party positions in
ZhejiangZhejiang is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. The word Zhejiang was the old name of the Qiantang River, which passes through Hangzhou, the provincial capital...
Province, as the party chief. Xi was in turn made an alternate member of the 15th CPC Central Committee and holds the membership of the 16th CPC Central Committee, signaling his involvement nationally. While in Zhejiang, one of China's most affluent provinces, a center for the success of China's 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 attention from China's top leaders.
After the dismissal of
Chen LiangyuChen Liangyu was a politician of the People's Republic of China from the ruling Communist Party, and the disgraced CPC Shanghai Committee Secretary, or the city's first-in-charge....
in September 2006 due to a social security fund scandal, Xi was "airlifted" into the city as the next Party Chief of
ShanghaiShanghai is the largest city in China, and one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world, with over 20 million people. Located on China's central eastern coast at the mouth of the Yangtze River, the city is administered as a municipality of the People's Republic of China with province-level...
in
March 2007March 2007 is the third month of the year. It began on a Thursday, and ended 31 days later on a Saturday.-International holidays:* March 1 - St Davids Day United Kingdom* March 4 - Purim * March 10 - Arba'een...
. Xi's transferral 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'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 Congress17th Party Congress could refer to one of the following:* The 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China* The 17th Congress of the All-Union Communist Party...
in
October 2007October 2007 is the tenth month of that year. It began on a Monday and 31 days later, ended on a Wednesday.- International holidays :* October 2 - Gandhi Jayanti * October 3 - Last 3rd of Ramadan which includes Laylat al-Qadr...
. Interestingly, Xi was ranked above
Li KeqiangLi Keqiang is currently the First Vice-Premier of China and the 7th ranked member of the powerful Politburo Standing Committee, the People's Republic of China's de facto top power organ...
, which made him the most likely candidate for China's next core figure - the
paramount leaderParamount Leader , in modern Chinese political science, unofficially refers to the political leader of the People's Republic of China who holds absolute influences over culture, media, or controls the three branches of the Chinese political system Paramount Leader ' onMouseout='HidePop("16390")' href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/11th_National_People's_Congress">11th National People's Congress
The 11th National People's Congress is in session from 2008 to 2013. It is scheduled to hold five plenary sessions in this period, occurring around early March every year. There are 2,985 deputies to this Congress.-The 1st Plenary Session:...
, Xi was elected as Vice-President of the People's Republic of China on March 15, 2008. Some suggest this was because Xi had kept friendly relations with both
Hu JintaoHu Jintao is currently the Paramount Leader of the People's Republic of China, holding the titles of General Secretary of the Communist Party of China since 2002, President of the People's Republic of China since 2003, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission since 2004, succeeding Jiang...
and the other power figure in the central leadership,
Zeng QinghongZeng Qinghong was the Vice-President of the People's Republic of China from 2003 to 2008. He became a member of the Politburo Standing Committee and member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee during the 2002 16th Party Congress...
. 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 OlympicsThe 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, were a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 302 events in 28 sports, one...
in Beijing, as well as 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 EarthquakeThe 2008 Sichuan earthquake or the Great Sichuan Earthquake was a deadly earthquake that measured at 8.0 M
sand 7.9 M
w
, Xi went and visited disaster areas in Shaanxi' is a province in the Northwest China region of the People's Republic of China, and includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River as well as the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of the province.-Romanization and Name:By regular Hanyu Pinyin rules, if...
and Gansu' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China. It lies between Quinghai, Inner Mongolia, and the Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia to the north and Xinjiang to the west. The Yellow River passes the southern part of the province. It has a population of nearly 31...
. After the Olympics, Xi was assigned the post of Committee Chair for the preparations of the 60th AnniversaryThe 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China took place on 1 October 2009. A military parade involving 10,000 troops and the display of many high tech weapons was held at Tiananmen Square in Beijing and various celebrations were conducted all over the country...
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 PartyCrown Prince Party , or The Princelings, are the descendants of prominent and influential senior communists of the People's Republic of China...
, 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. He is generally popular with foreign dignitaries, who are intrigued by his openness and pragmatism. Founder of Singapore, Lee Kuan YewLee Kuan Yew, Honorary GCMG, Honorary CH is a former Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore...
, when asked about Xi, said he felt he was "a thoughtful man who has gone through many trials and tribulations." Lee also commented: "I would put him in the Nelson Mandela'sNelson Rolihlahla Mandela is a former President of South Africa, the first to be elected in a fully representative democratic election, who held office from 1994–99. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of the African National Congress's armed wing Umkhonto...
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". Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry PaulsonHenry Merritt "Hank" Paulson, Jr. served as the 74th United States Treasury Secretary. He previously served as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Goldman Sachs...
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."
Latin American tour and controversy
In February 2009February 2009 was the second month of the current year. It began on a Sunday and ended after 28 days on a Saturday.Inasmuch as the month of February in non-leap years is exactly four weeks long: in years when it commences on Sunday, all western calendars designating Sunday as the first day of the...
, in his capacity as Vice-President, Xi Jinping embarked on a Latin American foreign trip to MexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, JamaicaJamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length and as much as in width, amounting to 11,100 km
2. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harboring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, ColombiaColombia , officially the Republic of Colombia , is a constitutional republic in northwestern South America. Colombia is bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the northwest by Panama; and to the west by the Pacific Ocean...
, VenezuelaVenezuela , officially titled Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It is a continental mainland with numerous islands located off its coastline in the Caribbean Sea...
, and BrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is a country in South America. It is the fifth largest country by geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America, the fifth most populous country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean...
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 ChavezHugo Rafael Chávez Frías is the President of Venezuela. As the leader of the Bolivarian Revolution, Chávez promotes a political doctrine of participatory democracy, socialism and Latin American and Caribbean cooperation...
.
On February 11, while visiting Mexico, Xi spoke in front of a group of overseas Chinese and defended 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". 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?"
The story was reported on some local television stations. The news led to a flood of discussions on Chinese internet forums, but they were quickly censored and the story was omitted from official news broadcasts. The Daily Telegraph remarked that Xi's hardline comments gave some insight into the personality of China's possible future leader, and that his actions were in noted contrast to the more diplomatic undertones of both President Hu JintaoHu Jintao is currently the Paramount Leader of the People's Republic of China, holding the titles of General Secretary of the Communist Party of China since 2002, President of the People's Republic of China since 2003, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission since 2004, succeeding Jiang...
and Premier Wen JiabaoWen Jiabao is the current Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, serving as the country's head of government and leading its cabinet...
. Xi's comments were controversial, gathering support from Chinese nationalists but also criticism for his lack of discretion. 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.
Political Future
Xi was named as one of the most influential people in the world in the 2009 Time 100The Time 100 is an annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world, as assembled by Time. First published in 1999 as a result of a debate among several academics, the list has become an annual event.-History and format:...
list. In September 2009, at the 4th 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 CommissionA Central Military Commission or National Defense Commission is an organisation typical of Communist one-party states, responsible for supervising the nation's armed forces....
(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.
Family
Xi married the famous Chinese folkThe term folk music originated in the 19th century as a term for musical folklore. It has been defined in several ways; as music transmitted by word of mouth, music of the lower classes, music with no known composer...
singer Peng LiyuanPeng Liyuan is one of the top Chinese folk music singers, and a performer popularized by her regular appearances on the annual CCTV New Year's Gala, a widely viewed Chinese television program during Chinese New Year...
(彭丽媛) in 1987. 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).
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," Peng said of her husband.
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