Zhong Shaojun | |
|---|---|
钟绍军 | |
| Director of theGeneral Office of the Central Military Commission | |
| Assumed office August 2017 | |
| CMC Chairman | Xi Jinping |
| Preceded by | Qin Shengxiang |
| Director of theOffice of the Chairman of the Central Military Commission | |
| Assumed office June 2013 | |
| CMC Chairman | Xi Jinping |
| Preceded by | Wu Zhiming |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1968-10-19)19 October 1968 (age 56)[1] Kaihua County,Zhejiang, China |
| Political party | Chinese Communist Party |
| Alma mater | Tsinghua University Zhejiang University |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  China |
| Branch/service | People's Liberation Army |
| Years of service | 2013 − present |
| Rank |  Lieutenant general |
| Commands | CMC General OfficeCMC Office for Reform and Organizational Structure |
Zhong Shaojun (Chinese:钟绍军; born 19 October 1968) is a long-time political aide ofXi Jinping, currently theGeneral Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) andChairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC). Zhong served on Xi's staff beginning inZhejiang province, then followed him toShanghai, and thenBeijing. Zhong currently serves as the director of Xi Jinping’s Office and director of theGeneral Office of the Central Military Commission. He holds the military rank ofLieutenant general in 2019.
Zhong was born inKaihua County, Zhejiang, near the modern city ofQuzhou. He holds a master's degree fromZhejiang University. He once served as the deputy head of the provincial party's Organization Department in Zhejiang.
It is not clear when Zhong began working for Xi, but evidence suggests that Zhong was on Xi's staff at least as early as when Xi was serving as theCommunist Party Secretary ofZhejiang province. In Zhejiang, Zhong often drafted Xi's official statements. Upon the sacking ofChen Liangyu due to a corruption scandal in 2006, the central authorities selected Xi to fill the position vacated by Chen as party chief of Shanghai. The transfer elevated Xi from a relatively unknown provincial administrator to the front runner to succeed Hu Jintao as the next leader of the Communist Party.[2] Zhong then followed Xi to Shanghai and took on the title of deputy chief of the municipal partyGeneral Office, and often accompanied Xi on visits. When Xi was transferring his duties to his successor as Zhejiang party chiefZhao Hongzhu, Zhong would frequently accompany Xi on trips between Shanghai andHangzhou. It was said that on some trips, Zhong was the only person accompanying Xi.[2]
In the fall of 2007, Xi was transferred to Beijing to become a member of thePolitburo Standing Committee and the secretary of theSecretariat of the Chinese Communist Party. Zhong was promptly also transferred to Beijing to work for theGeneral Office of the Chinese Communist Party.[2] Upon arriving in Beijing, Zhong also enrolled in a doctorate program at the prestigiousTsinghua University, some say he was admitted with the help of then Tsinghua party chief and friendChen Xi.[2] On June 11, 2013, Zhong was seen in military uniform (with the rank insignia of asenior colonel) on national television watching the launch of theShenzhou 10 spacecraft at theJiuquan Satellite Launch Centre accompanying Xi Jinping.[3]
Zhong's relationship with Xi has been compared to that between former General SecretaryJiang Zemin and his former secretaryJia Ting'an (later promoted to General in the People's Liberation Army) and that between former General SecretaryHu Jintao and his chief aideLing Jihua.[2] However, there is not much publicly available information about Zhong or about his relationship with Xi Jinping.[2] He has additionally been named as a member of the "New Zhijiang Army", that is, a trusted lieutenant of Xi Jinping who shares Xi's political philosophies and who may become an important political player or be destined for higher office in the near future.[3]