Ding Xuexiang (; born 13 September 1962) is a Chinese politician and the sixth-ranked member of the

Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party The Politburo Standing Committee (PSC), officially the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, is a committee consisting of the top leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Histori ...

. As the director of the

General Office A General Office (also known as "administrative office") is an important administrative political organ in the communist party organizations and communist countries (such as China, Laos and Vietnam for instance). Generally speaking, the General Offi ...

of the CCP, Ding serves as an important political aide of

Xi Jinping Xi Jinping ( ; ; ; born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who has served as the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), and thus as the paramount leader of China, ...

, current

General Secretary Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derive ...

of the

Chinese Communist Party The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victorious in the Chinese Ci ...

(CCP). Ding served on Xi's staff beginning in

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...

, then followed him to

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

. He is also a member of the 19th Party Politburo, and a Secretary of the Party Secretariat.

Early life and education

Ding Xuexiang was born in

Nantong Nantong (; alternate names: Nan-t'ung, Nantung, Tongzhou, or Tungchow; Qihai dialect: ) is a prefecture-level city in southeastern Jiangsu province, China. Located on the northern bank of the Yangtze River, near the river mouth. Nantong is a vital ...

Jiangsu Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with its c ...

province, on 13 September 1962. He graduated from the Northeast Heavy Machinery Institute in

Qinghuangdao Qinhuangdao (; ) is a port city on the coast of China in northern Hebei. It is administratively a prefecture-level city, about east of Beijing, on the Bohai Sea, the innermost gulf of the Yellow Sea. Its population during the 2020 nationa ...

, 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

in 1984. Ding Xuexiang received a master's degree in public administration from Fudan University's School of Management in 1993. 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. Ding moved into politics after obtaining his first cadre position, as the Deputy Director of the Shanghai Municipal Science & Technology Commission, in 1999. 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. 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 A politburo () or political bureau is the executive committee for communist parties. It is present in most former and existing communist states. Names The term "politburo" in English comes from the Russian ''Politbyuro'' (), itself a contractio ...

and the

Secretariat Secretariat may refer to: * Secretariat (administrative office) * Secretariat (horse) Secretariat (March 30, 1970 – October 4, 1989), also known as Big Red, was a champion American thoroughbred racehorse who is the ninth winner of the Ameri ...

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

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ding, Xuexiang Fudan University alumni Politicians from Nantong Living people People's Republic of China politicians from Jiangsu Chinese Communist Party politicians from Jiangsu Alternate members of the 18th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party Members of the Secretariat of the Chinese Communist Party Members of the 19th Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party Members of the 20th Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party 1962 births