Xi Jinping was born in Beijing on 15 June 1953, the second son of 

 in 1949, Xi's father held a series of posts, including 

vice chairperson of the National People's Congress

, Shaanxi, and Xi could further trace his 

 in the same district, who later became China's vice-premier and a close advisor to Xi after he became China's paramount leader.

 In 1963, when he was aged 10, his father was purged from the CCP and sent to work in a factory in 

 cut short Xi's secondary education when all secondary classes were halted for students to criticise and fight their teachers. Student militants ransacked the Xi family home and one of Xi's sisters, Xi Heping, committed suicide from the pressure.

Later, his mother was forced to publicly denounce his father, as he was paraded before a crowd as an enemy of the revolution. His father was later imprisoned in 1968 when Xi was aged 15. Without the protection of his father, Xi was sent to work in Liangjiahe Village, 

, Yan'an, Shaanxi, in 1969 in Mao Zedong's 

 According to people who knew him, this experience led him to feel affinity with the rural poor.

 After a few months, unable to stand rural life, he ran away to Beijing. He was arrested during a crackdown on deserters from the countryside and sent to a work camp to dig ditches, but later returned to the village, spending a total of seven years there.

The misfortunes and suffering of his family in his early years hardened Xi's view of politics. During an interview in 2000, he said, "People who have little contact with power, who are far from it, always see these things as mysterious and novel. But what I see is not just the superficial things: the power, the flowers, the glory, the applause. I see the bullpens and how people can blow hot and cold. I understand politics on a deeper level." The "bullpens" (

' detention houses during the Cultural Revolution.

After being rejected seven times, Xi joined the 

 in 1971 by befriending a local official.

 He reunited with his father in 1972, because of a family reunion ordered by 

 From 1973, he applied to join the CCP ten times and was finally accepted on his tenth attempt in 1974.

 in Beijing. The engineering majors there spent about 15 percent of their time studying 

 and 5 percent of their time doing farm work and "learning from the People's Liberation Army".

From 1979 to 1982, Xi served as secretary for his father's former subordinate 

 in Hebei as deputy party secretary of Zhengding County. He was promoted in 1983 to secretary, becoming the top official of the county.

 Xi subsequently served in four provinces during his regional political career: Hebei (1982–1985), 

 Municipal Party Committee and became the president of the Party School in Fuzhou in 1990. In 1997, he was named an alternate member of the 

. However, of the 151 alternate members of the Central Committee elected at the 15th Party Congress, Xi received the lowest number of votes in favour, placing him last in the rankings of members, ostensibly due to his status as a 

 theory and ideological education in Tsinghua University,

 graduating with a doctorate in law and ideology in 2002.

 In 1999, he was promoted to the office of Vice Governor of Fujian, and became governor a year later. In Fujian, Xi made efforts to attract investment from Taiwan and to strengthen the private sector of the provincial economy.

 In February 2000, he and then-provincial party secretary 

 were called before the top members of PSC – general secretary 

In 2002, Xi left Fujian and took up leading political positions in neighbouring Zhejiang. He eventually took over as provincial Party Committee secretary after several months as acting governor, occupying a top provincial office for the first time in his career. In 2002, he was elected a full member of the 

, marking his ascension to the national stage. While in Zhejiang, Xi presided over reported growth rates averaging 14% per year.

 His career in Zhejiang was marked by a tough and straightforward stance against corrupt officials. This earned him a name in the national media and drew the attention of China's top leaders.

Following the dismissal of Shanghai Party secretary 

, Xi was transferred to Shanghai in March 2007, where he was the party secretary there for seven months.

 In Shanghai, Xi avoided controversy and was known for strictly observing party discipline. For example, Shanghai administrators attempted to earn favour with him by arranging a special train to shuttle him between Shanghai and 

 for him to complete handing off his work to his successor as Zhejiang party secretary 

. However, Xi reportedly refused to take the train, citing a loosely enforced party regulation that stipulated that special trains can only be reserved for "national leaders".

 While in Shanghai, he worked on preserving unity of the local party organisation. He pledged there would be no 'purges' during his administration, despite the fact many local officials were thought to have been implicated in the Chen Liangyu corruption scandal.

 On most issues, Xi largely echoed the line of the central leadership.

 in August 2008Xi Jinping with Russian president 

Xi was appointed to the nine-man PSC at the 

, an indication that he was going to succeed Hu Jintao as China's 

. In addition, Xi also held the first secretary of the CCP's 

. This assessment was further supported at the 

 in March 2008, when Xi was elected as vice president of the PRC.

 Following his elevation, Xi has held a broad range of portfolios. He was put in charge of the comprehensive preparations for the 

 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 president of the 

 of the CCP, its cadre-training and ideological education wing. In the wake of the 

. He made his first foreign trip as vice president to North Korea, Mongolia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Yemen from 17 to 25 June 2008.

 After the Olympics, Xi was assigned the post of committee chair for the preparations of the 

 of the founding of the PRC. He was also reportedly at the helm of a top-level CCP committee dubbed the 

, which was charged with ensuring social stability during a series of politically sensitive anniversaries in 2009.

Xi's position as the apparent successor to become the paramount leader was threatened with the rapid rise of 

 at the time. Bo was expected to join the PSC at the 

, with most expecting that he would try to eventually maneuver himself into replacing Xi.

 Bo's policies in Chongqing inspired imitations throughout China and received praise from Xi himself during Xi's visit to Chongqing in 2010. Records of praises from Xi were later erased after he became paramount leader. Bo's downfall would come with the 

, which opened the door for Xi to come to power without challengers.

Xi is considered one of the most successful members of the Princelings, a quasi-clique of politicians who are descendants of early Chinese Communist revolutionaries. Former prime minister 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 

 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".

 described Xi as "the kind of guy who knows how to get things over the goal line".

 said that Xi "has sufficient reformist, party and military background to be very much his own man".

In February 2009, in his capacity as vice-president, Xi Jinping embarked on a tour of Latin America, visiting Mexico,

 and Malta, after which he returned to China.

 On 11 February 2009, while visiting Mexico, Xi spoke in front of a group of 

 and explained China's contributions during the international 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 went on to remark: "There are some bored foreigners, with full stomachs, who have nothing better to do than point fingers at us. 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 and it was reported that the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs was caught off-guard by Xi's remarks, as the actual video was shot by some accompanying Hong Kong reporters and broadcast on Hong Kong TV, which then turned up on various Internet video websites.

, Xi visited Belgium, Germany, Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania from 7 to 21 October 2009.

 He visited Japan, South Korea, Cambodia, and Myanmar on his Asian trip from 14 to 22 December 2009.

 He later visited the United States, Ireland and Turkey in February 2012. This visit included meeting with then U.S. president 

, where he met with the family that previously hosted him during his 1985 tour as a 

A few months before his ascendancy to the party leadership, Xi disappeared from official media coverage and cancelled meeting with foreign officials for several weeks beginning on 1 September 2012, causing rumors.

 On 15 November 2012, Xi was elected to the posts of general secretary of the CCP and chairman of the CMC by the 

 and the first to be born after the founding of the PRC. The following day Xi led the new line-up of the PSC onto the stage in their first public appearance.

 The PSC was reduced from nine to seven, with only Xi and Li Keqiang retaining their seats; the other five members were new.

 In a marked departure from the common practice of Chinese leaders, Xi's first speech as general secretary was plainly worded and did not include any political slogans or mention his predecessors.

 Xi mentioned the aspirations of the average person, remarking, "Our people ... expect better education, more stable jobs, better income, more reliable social security, medical care of a higher standard, more comfortable living conditions, and a more beautiful environment." Xi also vowed to tackle corruption at the highest levels, alluding that it would threaten the CCP's survival; he was reticent about far-reaching economic reforms.

 in his first trip outside Beijing since taking the Party leadership. The overarching theme of the trip was to call for further economic reform and a strengthened military. Xi visited the statue of Deng Xiaoping and his trip was described as following in the footsteps of 

, which provided the impetus for further economic reforms in China after conservative party leaders stalled many of Deng's reforms in the aftermath of the 

1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre

. On his trip, Xi consistently alluded to his signature slogan the "Chinese Dream". "This dream can be said to be the dream of a strong nation. And for the military, it is a dream of a strong military", Xi told sailors.

 Xi's trip was significant in that he departed from the established convention of Chinese leaders' travel routines in multiple ways. Rather than dining out, Xi and his entourage ate regular hotel buffet. He travelled in a large van with his colleagues rather than a fleet of limousines, and did not restrict traffic on the parts of the highway he travelled.

Xi was elected president on 14 March 2013, in a confirmation vote by the 

 in Beijing. He received 2,952 for, one vote against, and three abstentions.

 He replaced Hu Jintao, who retired after serving two terms.

 In his new capacity as president, on 16 March 2013 Xi expressed support for non-interference in 

 vote to condemn that country over government abuses during the 

 On 17 March, Xi and his new ministers arranged a meeting with the 

 Within hours of his election, Xi discussed 

 and North Korea with U.S. President Barack Obama over the phone. Obama announced the visits of treasury and state secretaries 

Anti-corruption campaign under Xi Jinping

Xi vowed to crack down on corruption almost immediately after he ascended to power at the 18th Party Congress. In his inaugural speech as general secretary, Xi mentioned that fighting corruption was one of the toughest challenges for the party.

 A few months into his term, Xi outlined the 

, listing rules intended to curb corruption and waste during official party business; it aimed at stricter discipline on the conduct of party officials. Xi also vowed to root out "tigers and flies", that is, high-ranking officials and ordinary party functionaries.

Xi initiated cases against former CMC vice-chairmen 

 spearheaded the formation of "centrally-dispatched inspection teams" (中央巡视组). These were essentially cross-jurisdictional squads of officials whose main task was to gain more in-depth understanding of the operations of provincial and local party organizations, and in the process, also enforce party discipline mandated by Beijing. Many of the work teams also had the effect of identifying and initiating investigations of high-ranking officials. Over one hundred provincial-ministerial level officials were implicated during a massive nationwide anti-corruption campaign. These included former and current regional officials (

), leading figures of state-owned enterprises and central government organs (

), and highly ranked generals in the military (

 provincial political establishment was decimated, with four officials dismissed within a week from the provincial party organization's top ranks. Within the first two years of the campaign alone, over 200,000 low-ranking officials received warnings, fines, and demotions.

The campaign has led to the downfall of prominent incumbent and retired CCP officials, including members of the PSC.

 Xi's anti-corruption campaign is seen by critics, such as 

, as a political with the aim of removing potential opponents and consolidating power.

 Xi's establishment of a new anti-corruption agency, the National Supervision Commission, ranked higher than the supreme court, has been described by 

's East Asia director as a "systemic threat to human rights" that "places tens of millions of people at the mercy of a secretive and virtually unaccountable system that is above the law."

Xi has overseen significant reforms of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), CCP's highest 

 He and CCDI Secretary Wang Qishan further institutionalised CCDI's independence from the day-to-day operations of the CCP, improving its ability to function as a 

, any anti-corruption punishment to officials at or above the vice ministerial level need approval from Xi.

 said that when he wants to neutralise a political rival, he asks inspectors to prepare hundreds of pages of evidence. The article also said that he sometimes authorises investigations on close associates of a high-ranking politician to replace them with his own proteges and puts political rivals in less important positions to separate them from their political bases. Reportedly, these tactics have even been used against Wang Qishan, Xi's close friend.

Since Xi became the CCP general secretary, censorship, including internet censorship, has been significantly stepped up.

 Chairing the 2018 China Cyberspace Governance Conference on 20 and 21 April 2018, Xi committed to "fiercely crack down on criminal offenses including hacking, telecom fraud, and violation of citizens' privacy."

 During a visit to Chinese state media, Xi stated that "party-owned media must hold the family name of the party" (党和政府主办的媒体必须姓党) and that the state media "must embody the party’s will, safeguard the party’s authority".

His administration has overseen more Internet restrictions imposed in China, and is described as being "stricter across the board" on speech than previous administrations.

 Xi has taken a very strong stand to control internet usage inside China, including 

 advocating Internet censorship in the country under the concept of 

 has also been stringent; as of April 2019, all versions of Wikipedia have been blocked in China.

 has been described as a change from fearing that individual posts would be deleted, or at worst one's account, to fear of arrest.

A law enacted in September 2013 authorized a three-year prison term for bloggers who shared more than 500 times any content considered "defamatory".

 The State Internet Information Department summoned a group of influential bloggers to a seminar instructing them to avoid writing about politics, the CCP, or making statements contradicting official narratives. Many bloggers stopped writing about controversial topics, and Weibo went into decline, with much of its readership shifting to 

 users speaking to very limited social circles.

 In 2017, telecommunications carriers in China were instructed by the government to block individuals' use of 

", meaning historical viewpoints that challenge the official line of the CCP.

 Xi said that one of the reasons for the 

 (CAC) has established a telephone hotline for people to report acts of historical nihilism, while 

 urged its user to report instances of historical nihilism.

 In May 2021, the CAC reported that it removed two million online posts for historical nihilism.

Portrait of Xi in Beijing, September 2015See also: 

Political observers have called Xi the most powerful Chinese leader since Mao Zedong, especially since the ending of presidential two-term limits in 2018.

 practices of his post-Mao predecessors. He has centralised his power and created working groups with himself at the head to subvert government bureaucracy, making himself become the unmistakable central figure of the new administration.

 Beginning in 2013, the CCP under Xi has created a series of Central Leading Groups: supra-ministerial steering committees, designed to bypass existing institutions when making decisions, and ostensibly make policy-making a more efficient process. The most notable new body is the Central Leading Group for Comprehensively Deepening Reforms. It has broad jurisdiction over economic restructuring and social reforms, and is said to have displaced some of the power previously held by the State Council and its premier.

Central Leading Group for Internet Security and Informatization

, in charge of cyber-security and Internet policy. The Third Plenum held in 2013 also saw the creation of the 

, another body chaired by Xi, which commentators have said would help Xi consolidate over national security affairs.

 In the opinion of at least one political scientist, Xi "has surrounded himself with cadres he met while stationed on the coast, Fujian and 

 Control of Beijing is seen as crucial to Chinese leaders; Xi has selected 

, one of the cadres mentioned above, to manage the capital.

 Xi has also been believed to have diluted the authority of premier 

, taking authority over the economy which has generally been considered to be the domain of the premier.

 as the Minister of Public Security, giving him further control over the security establishment.

In its sixth plenary session in November 2021, CCP adopted a 

, a kind of document that evaluated the party's history. This was the third of its kind after ones adopted by Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping,

 and the document for the first time credited Xi as being the "main innovator" of Xi Jinping Thought

 while also declaring Xi's leadership as being “the key to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation".

 In comparison with the other historical resolutions, Xi's one did not herald a major change in how the CCP evaluated its history.

 To accompany the historical resolution, the CCP promoted the terms 

, calling the CCP to unite around and protect Xi's core status within the party.

20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party

, held between 16-22 October 2022, has overseen amendments in the 

 and the re-election of Xi as general secretary of the CCP and chairman of the CMC for a third term, with the overall result of the Congress being further strengthening of Xi's power.

 The newly amended CCP constitution included the terms two establishes and two safeguards, reinforcing Xi's power.

 It also included concepts promoted by Xi like common prosperity, Chinese-style modernisation and whole-process people’s democracy.

 The new Politburo Standing Committee elected just after the CCP Congress was filled almost completely with people close to Xi, with four out of the seven members of the previous PSC including premier 

, a close Xi ally, became the second-ranking member of the PSC, and is expected to become premier in 2023.

 have also joined the PSC, and are expected to become first secretary of the 

secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection

 The only remaining members of the previous PSC except Xi were 

, though their ranking and positions changed.

 Xi's re-election made him the first party leader since Mao Zedong to serve more than three terms, though Deng Xiaoping ruled the country informally for a longer period.

 and Xi Jinping in a shop in ChinaMain article: 

 constructed around himself since entering office

 with books, cartoons, pop songs and dance routines honouring his rule.

 The village of Liangjiahe, where Xi was sent to work, has become a "modern-day shrine" decorated with CCP propaganda and murals extolling the formative years of his life.

 (领袖), a reverent term for "leader" and a title previously only given to 

, Mao Zedong and his immediate successor 

 He is also sometimes called the "pilot at the helm" (领航掌舵).

 On 25 December 2019, the Politburo officially named Xi as "People's Leader" (人民领袖; 

In March 2018, the party-controlled National People's Congress passed a set of constitutional amendments including removal of term limits for the president and vice president, the creation of a 

, as well as enhancing the central role of the CCP.

 On 17 March 2018, the Chinese legislature reappointed Xi as president, now without term limits; Wang Qishan was appointed vice president.

 The following day, Li Keqiang was reappointed premier and longtime allies of Xi, 

, were voted in as vice-chairmen of the CMC.

, Xi expressed his views of constitutional amendment at meetings with Chinese officials and foreign dignitaries. Xi explained the decision in terms of needing to align two more powerful posts—general secretary of the CCP and chairman of the CMC—which have no term limits. However, Xi did not say whether he intended to serve as party general secretary, CMC chairman and state president, for three or more terms.

Xi was initially seen as a market reformist,

 and the Third Plenum of the 18th Central Committee under him announced that "market forces" would begin to play a "decisive" role in allocating resources.

 This meant that the state would gradually reduce its involvement in the distribution of capital, and restructure 

 to allow further competition, potentially by attracting foreign and private sector players in industries that were previously highly regulated. This policy aimed to address the bloated state sector that had unduly profited from an earlier round of re-structuring by purchasing assets at below-market prices, assets that were no longer being used productively. However, by 2017, Xi's promise of economic reforms has been said to stall by experts.

, which led Xi to use state forces to fix the issue.

Xi has increased state control over China's economy, voicing support for China's state-owned enterprises (SOEs),

 while also supporting the country's private sector.

Central Financial and Economic Affairs Commission

 His administration made it easier for banks to issue 

, increased foreign participation in the bond market, and increased the national currency 

 In the 40th anniversary of the launching of 

 in 2018, he has promised to continue reforms but has warned that nobody "can dictate to the Chinese people".

 Xi has also personally made eradicating extreme poverty through "

 In 2021, Xi declared a "complete victory" over extreme poverty, saying that nearly 100 million people have been lifted out of poverty under his tenure, though some experts said that China's 

 was relatively lower than the one set by the 

 In 2020, premier Li Keqiang, citing the 

 (NBS) said that China still had 600 million people living with less than 1000 yuan ($140) a month, although an article from 

 said that the methodology NBS used was flawed, stating that the figure took the combined income, which was then equally divided.

China's economy has grown under Xi, with 

 more than doubling from $8.53 trillion in 2012 to $17.73 trillion in 2021,

 though the rate of growth has slowed from 7.9% in 2012 to 6% in 2019.

 Xi has stressed the importance of "high-quality growth" rather than "inflated growth".

", meaning reorienting the economy towards domestic consumption while remaining open to foreign trade and investment.

 Xi has attempted to reform the property sector to combat the steep increase in the property prices and to cut Chinese economy's dependence on the real estate sector.

 In the 19th CCP National Congress, Xi declared "Houses are built to be inhabited, not for speculation".

 In 2020, Xi's government formulated the "

" policy that aimed to deleverage the heavily indebted property sector.

, for which he has faced resistance from members of the CCP.

The son of Chinese Communist veteran Xi Zhongxun, Xi was exiled to rural Yanchuan County as a teenager following his father's purge during the Cultural Revolution. He lived in a yaodong in the village of Liangjiahe, Shaanxi province, where he joined the CCP after several failed attempts and worked as the local party secretary. 

Write

Contact

Follow

Sign in

Get Pro

Xi Jinping

Pro Account To Read More

Click Here

Comments