Ding Xuexiang (Chinese: 丁薛祥; pinyin: Dīng Xuēxiáng; born 13 September 1962) is a Chinese politician and the sixth-ranked member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party. As the director of the General Office of the CCP, Ding serves as an important political aide of Xi Jinping, current General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Ding served on Xi's staff beginning in Shanghai, then followed him to Beijing. He is also a member of the 19th Party Politburo, and a Secretary of the Party Secretariat.[1][2]
Early life and education
Ding Xuexiang was born in Nantong, Jiangsu province, on 13 September 1962. He graduated from the Northeast Heavy Machinery Institute in Qinghuangdao, later renamed Yanshan University, in 1982 with a degree in engineering. Ding Xuexiang got his first job at the Shanghai Research Institute of Materials (SRIM) from 1982 to 1999, and joined the Chinese Communist Party in 1984.[3] Ding Xuexiang received a master's degree in public administration from Fudan University's School of Management in 1993.[4] At the Shanghai Research Institute of Materials, Ding advanced rapidly through various research, administrative, and party positions.
Political career
Ding's rise to the Politburo was achieved primarily by climbing the ranks of the party.[4] Ding moved into politics after obtaining his first cadre position, as the Deputy Director of the Shanghai Municipal Science & Technology Commission, in 1999.[5] Throughout his tenure at the SRIM, he attained leadership roles in propaganda, organization, general office, politics, and legal affairs, gaining valuable experience in all said fields. He moved up the ranks of the party apparatus in Shanghai, finishing off his time in the city as Secretary of the Political and Legal Committee of the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee in 2013.[6] He would first be elected to the Central Committee as an alternate member at the 18th Party Congress in 2012.
Politburo and Secretariat
Ding joined the Politburo and the Secretariat of the CCP in October 2017, as the director of the CCP General Office, and remained his post of the CCP General Secretary's office director (chief of staff). Following the first plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee in October 2022, Ding was elevated to the Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party.[7]
