Zhong Shaojun
Zhong Shaojun | |
---|---|
钟绍军 | |
Director of the General Office of the Central Military Commission | |
Assumed office August 2017 | |
CMC Chairman | Xi Jinping |
Preceded by | Qin Shengxiang |
Director of the Chairman of the Central Military Commission Office | |
Assumed office June 2013 | |
CMC Chairman | Xi Jinping |
Preceded by | Wu Zhiming |
Personal details | |
Born | Kaihua County, Zhejiang, China | 19 October 1968
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 Office CMC Office for Reform and Organizational Structure |
Zhong Shaojun (Chinese: 钟绍军; born 19 October 1968) is a long-time political aide of Xi Jinping, currently the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC). Zhong served on Xi's staff beginning in Zhejiang province, then followed him to Shanghai, and then Beijing. Zhong currently serves as the director of Xi Jinping’s Office and director of the General Office of the Central Military Commission. He holds the military rank of Lieutenant general in 2019.
Career
Zhong was born in Kaihua County, Zhejiang, near the modern city of Quzhou. He hold a master's degree from Zhejiang 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 the
In the fall of 2007, Xi was transferred to Beijing to become a member of the
Zhong's relationship with Xi has been compared to that between former General Secretary Jiang Zemin and his former secretary Jia Ting'an (later promoted to General in the People's Liberation Army) and that between former General Secretary Hu Jintao and his chief aide Ling 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]