The six men who rule China: who’s who in Xi Jinping’s presidential cabinet

Xi has almost absolute power. But he will not rule alone. The Permanent Committee of the Party, equivalent to his presidential Cabinet, will have a group of six members (all men) who will be key in managing the Asian giant and its ideological drift, which the President has defined as “an internal revolution in the expedition to the future.” The members of the Standing Committee are in turn part of the Politburo of the Central Committee, now made up of a total of 24 members. Who are Xi’s six men: Li Qiang, 63, is the secretary of the Chinese Communist Party in Shanghai. He happens to be one of the most faithful collaborators of the President, whom he has known since his political beginnings. The management of the covid crisis in Shanghai, highly criticized, has been able to take its toll on him socially, but Xi’s support for him has not changed one iota. Li Qiang Kevin Frayer Zhao Leji He is 65 years old. He is the current head of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, the party’s main anti-corruption watchdog. He will be in charge of maintaining party discipline and fighting systemic bribery from party members.He is considered a rising star of national politics. At 42, he became governor of Qingai province, the youngest in its history. Zhao Leji Kevin Frayer Wang Huning At 67, the party’s first secretary is considered one of the greatest exponents of the Chinese president’s ideology. He was a professor and academic, he happens to get along with all factions of the party. He is considered the brain of the PCC. He has held positions of trust with three presidents: Jian Zeming, Hu Jintao, and Xi Jinping. Wang Huning, Kevin Frayer, Cai Qi, 66, the current mayor of Beijing, is a faithful ally of Xi. The celebration of the Winter Olympics, in the midst of a pandemic, made him win over the game. However, his policy to reduce the population of the Chinese capital has been controversial, which has forced thousands of low-income residents to leave the city.Cai QiMARK R. CRISTINODing XuexiangAt 60 years old, he is the director general of the President’s office, he has been chief of staff since 2014. An engineer by profession, he lacks the political and managerial experience of other members of the Politburo.But he has the absolute trust of the president, whom he has accompanied on his trips abroad and within the country.Ding XuexiangKevin FrayerLi Xi60 years old. As Party Secretary in Guangdong province, he has contributed to the economic and technological take-off of the region with his policy of attracting investment. He is considered a great friend of the Xi family and has earned the respect of his fellow party members for solving serious internal crises.Li XiMARK R. CRISTINO