Xi Jinping

Xi Jinping (born June 15, 1953) is a Chinese politician serving as the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), making him the paramount leader of China since 2012. He has also held the position of president of 

China since 2013. As part of the fifth generation of Chinese leadership, Xi is the first CCP general secretary born after the establishment of the People's Republic of China (PRC).

The son of communist veteran Xi Zhongxun, Xi experienced political exile in rural Yanchuan County during the Cultural Revolution after his father’s purge. While living in a yaodong in Liangjiahe, Shaanxi province, he joined the CCP after multiple attempts and served as the local party secretary. He later studied chemical engineering at Tsinghua University as a worker-peasant-soldier student before advancing through political ranks in China’s coastal provinces. Xi was governor of Fujian from 1999 to 2002, then served as governor and party secretary of Zhejiang from 2002 to 2007. In 2007, following the removal of Shanghai’s party secretary Chen Liangyu, he was transferred to lead the city. That same year, he joined the Politburo Standing Committee (PSC) and became the first-ranking secretary of the Central Secretariat. In 2008, he was designated as Hu Jintao’s successor as paramount leader and was appointed vice president and vice chairman of the CMC. The CCP officially recognized him as the leadership core in 2016.

Xi’s leadership has focused on strengthening party discipline and internal unity, particularly through an extensive anti-corruption campaign that resulted in the downfall of high-ranking CCP officials, including former PSC member Zhou Yongkang. To promote "common prosperity," Xi implemented policies aimed at increasing economic equality, led targeted poverty alleviation programs, and launched a broad crackdown in 2021 on the tech and tutoring sectors. His administration has reinforced support for state-owned enterprises (SOEs), emphasized technological and advanced manufacturing development, pursued military-civil fusion, and attempted to reform China's property sector. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Xi initially enforced a strict zero-COVID policy from January 2020 to December 2022 before shifting to a mitigation approach.

Personal life

Family

Xi Jinping was first married to Ke Lingling, the daughter of Ke Hua, who served as China’s ambassador to the United Kingdom in the early 1980s. Their marriage ended in divorce after a few years, reportedly due to frequent disagreements. Following the separation, Ke relocated to England.

In 1987, Xi married Peng Liyuan, a renowned Chinese folk singer. The couple was introduced through mutual friends, as was common in China during that era. Xi, known for his academic nature, was said to have asked Peng about singing techniques during their early interactions. At the time, Peng Liyuan was a household name and more publicly recognized than Xi until his political rise. Due to their separate careers, the couple often lived apart. However, Peng has taken on a significantly more visible role as China’s First Lady compared to her predecessors. She notably hosted Michelle Obama during the U.S. First Lady’s visit to China in March 2014.

Xi and Peng have a daughter, Xi Mingze, who graduated from Harvard University in 2015. During her studies, she used a pseudony

m and majored in Psychology and English. The family maintains a residence in Jade Spring Hill, a prestigious garden and residential area in northwestern Beijing, managed by the Central Military Commission (CMC).

In June 2012, Bloomberg News reported that members of Xi’s extended family held significant business interests, though no evidence suggested Xi had intervened on their behalf. Following the publication of this report, was blocked in mainland China. As Xi launched his anti-corruption campaign, reports indicated that his relatives began divesting from corporate and real estate holdings starting in 2012. Investigations, including the Panama Papers, revealed that several prominent Chinese officials and their relatives had offshore financial assets. Xi’s brother-in-law, Deng Jiagui, was identified as having controlled two British Virgin Islands-based shell companies, which became inactive by the time Xi assumed leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in November 2012.

political career

Central Military Commission

After completing his studies in April 1979, Xi Jinping was assigned to the General Office of the State Council and the General Office of the CPC Central Military Commission (CMC). In this role, he served as one of three secretaries under Geng Biao, a Politburo member and Minister of Defense.

Hebei

On March 25, 1982, Xi was appointed deputy party secretary of Zhengding County, Hebei. Along with Lü Yulan, another deputy party secretary, he co-wrote a letter to the central government, highlighting the burden of excessive grain requisitions on farmers. Their appeal led the central government to lower the annual grain requisition by 14 million kilograms. In 1983, Zhengding restructured its agricultural sector, significantly boosting farmers' incomes from 148 yuan to over 400 yuan by 1984, helping resolve the county’s economic challenges.

After assuming the role of party secretary of Zhengding County in July 1983, Xi launched multiple development projects. These included the Nine Articles of Zhengding Talents, the creation of Changshan Park, and the restoration of Longxing Temple. He was instrumental in setting up Rongguo Mansion, the Zhengding Table Tennis Base, and a local tourism company. Xi persuaded the China Teleplay Production Center to choose Zh

engding as the filming site for Dream of the Red Mansions and secured 3.5 million yuan to construct Rongguo Mansion, which significantly boosted the county’s tourism revenue, reaching 17.61 million yuan in a single year.

Xi also invited renowned figures such as Hua Luogeng, Yu Guangyuan, and Pan Chengxiao to visit Zhengding, contributing to the county's semi-urban strategy, utilizing its closeness to Shijiazhuang for economic growth.

In September 1984, during a briefing led by He Zai, the secretary-general of the Central Organization Department, Xi's leadership abilities and strategic planning for Zhengding were recognized. He Zai and Wei Jianxing, deputy head of the CCP Central Organization Department, conveyed their assessment to Hu Yaobang, describing Xi as a leader who emphasized the unity of workers and peasants.

In 1985, Xi participated in a study tour focused on corn processing, traveling to Iowa, U.S., to explore agricultural production and corn processing technologies. During this period, the CCP Central Organization Department decided to reassign him to Xiamen, appointing him as a Standing Committee member of the CCP Xiamen Municipal Committee and vice mayor.

References:

• Briefing, C. (2022, March 21). How to understand China’s common Prosperity Policy. China Briefing News. https://www.china-briefing.com/news/china-common-prosperity-what-does-it-mean-for-foreign-investors/
• First Lady Michelle Obama. (2016, February 11). whitehouse.gov. https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/administration/first-lady-michelle-obama
• Heads of State of the PRC | CECC. (2024, July 1). CECC. https://www.cecc.gov/heads-of-state-of-the-prc
• Oberon Amsterdam, www.oberon.nl. (n.d.). The Panama Papers (2018) | IDFA Archive. IDFA. https://www.idfa.nl/en/film/a9b57544-0b15-4341-9aa9-bde521ca1978/the-
• Ritchie, H., Rosado, P., & Roser, M. (2023, January 1). Agricultural production. Our World in Data. https://ourworldindata.org/agricultural-production#:
• The State Council of the People’s Republic of China. (n.d.). https://english.www.gov.cn/
• 代艳. (n.d.). Paper spotlights President Xi’s early work[1]- Chinadaily.com.cn. https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2014-01/04/content_17215885.htm