Xi Jinping

Biography

Xi Jinping, born on June 15, 1953, is a Chinese politician who has been the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) since 2012 and the President of China since 2013. As China's leader, Xi also chairs the Central Military Commission for both the Party and the State, bringing military, party, and government control under his leadership. Born in Beijing, Xi is the elder son of Xi Zhongxun, a member of the Chinese Red Army and a notable Communist Party official. His early life was turbulent, as his father was ousted during the Cultural Revolution.

As a teenager, Xi was sent to the rural village of Liangjiahe in Shaanxi Province, where he lived in a traditional cave dwelling known as a yaodong. This experience, shared by many city youth during the Cultural Revolution, deeply influenced his perspective on rural China. After several attempts, he joined the Communist Party while serving as the local party secretary in Liangjiahe. Xi then attended Tsinghua University, studying chemical engineering as part of a program meant to educate those from working-class backgrounds during the Cultural Revolution.

Xi started his political career in China's coastal provinces, gaining valuable administrative experience. He was the Governor of Fujian Province from 1999 to 2002, leading economic development there. Later, he served as Governor and Party Secretary of Zhejiang Province from 2002 to 2007, focusing on economic growth while keeping social stability. In Zhejiang, he worked to manage industrialization alongside environmental concerns and wrote "Zhi Jiang Xin Yu," sharing his thoughts on governance and development.

In 2007, Xi was relocated to Shanghai to succeed Chen Liangyu, who was removed due to corruption charges. This move showed the central leadership's trust in his ability to handle delicate political matters. Later that year, he became a member of the Politburo Standing Committee, China's top decision-making group, and the first-ranking member of the Secretariat. His roles as Vice President in 2008 and Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission in 2010 indicated that he would succeed Hu Jintao. When he took up the top leadership roles in 2012-2013, Xi launched anti-corruption campaigns and made constitutional changes in 2018 that did away with presidential term limits, enabling him to stay in power longer than the usual two-term period.

Xi’s leadership is known for power centralization and promoting "common prosperity." His administration has worked on major efforts like poverty reduction, environmental protection, and technological progress. Internationally, he has followed an assertive foreign policy, launching the Belt and Road Initiative to boost China's global standing through infrastructure and trade deals. His leadership style, known as "Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era," has been added to the Party constitution, ensuring his influence on China's political framework.