Zhao Yide Set to Lead CPC General Office, Fueling Speculation on Li Qiang’s Ambitions

The image shows Chinese Premier Li Qiang. (Jeon Heon-kyun - Pool/Getty Images)

[People News] Overseas commentator Jiang Wangzheng has disclosed that during the upcoming Fifth Plenary Session of the CPC in October, Chen Xiaojian, Zhang Shengmin, and Zhao Yide are expected to be added as members of the Politburo, with Zhao Yide taking on the role of Director of the General Office. Currently serving as the Secretary of the Shaanxi Provincial Party Committee, Zhao Yide is viewed as part of Xi Jinping's 'Zhejiang New Army' alongside Premier Li Qiang, and their political paths have notably intersected.

Official resumes indicate that Zhao Yide, who comes from Wenling in Zhejiang, graduated from Taizhou Agricultural School in Zhejiang Province. He began his political career in 1983 in Wenling County, advancing through the ranks of the Communist Youth League. By the end of 2003, he had been appointed Secretary of the Communist Youth League of the Zhejiang Provincial Committee.

Following this, Zhao Yide held various positions including Deputy Secretary of the Wenzhou Municipal Committee of the CPC, Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee of the Wenzhou Municipal Committee, Acting Mayor of Wenzhou, and then Mayor. In September 2011, he became Secretary of the Quzhou Municipal Committee. In May 2012, he was promoted to Secretary-General of the Zhejiang Provincial Committee, and in June, he was elected as a member of the Standing Committee of the Zhejiang Provincial Committee. In September 2015, he was appointed Secretary of the Hangzhou Municipal Committee of the CPC, during which the G20 Hangzhou Summit took place in September 2016. In October 2017, he was elected as an alternate member of the 19th Central Committee of the CPC.

It is believed that he caught Xi Jinping's attention, as in March 2018, Zhao Yide was reassigned to serve as Deputy Secretary of the Hebei Provincial Committee of the CPC. From July 2020, he held successive roles as Deputy Secretary, Governor, and Secretary of the Shaanxi Provincial Committee, while also serving as the Director of the Standing Committee of the Provincial People's Congress and the First Secretary of the Provincial Military District Party Committee. In October 2022, he was elected as a member of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC.

Li Qiang hails from Ruian, Zhejiang, where he has spent a significant portion of his career. Zhao Yide's hometown, Wenling, is located just over a hundred kilometers from Ruian. In 2002, Li Qiang was appointed Secretary of the Wenzhou Municipal Committee, and in 2004, he became the Secretary-General of the Zhejiang Provincial Committee. A year later, he was promoted to a member of the Standing Committee of the Zhejiang Provincial Committee and Secretary-General, with Xi Jinping serving as the Provincial Committee Secretary at that time. In February 2011, Li Qiang also took on the role of Secretary of the Provincial Political and Legal Affairs Committee. By November of the same year, he was elevated to Deputy Secretary of the Zhejiang Provincial Committee, making him the third-highest official in the committee, following Provincial Committee Secretary Zhao Hongzhu and Governor Xia Baolong. In 2012, he was elected as a candidate member of the Central Committee during the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and subsequently became Acting Governor. He officially took office as Governor of Zhejiang Province in January 2013 and was appointed Secretary of the Jiangsu Provincial Committee in 2016.

Li Qiang and Zhao Yide's career trajectories intersect in several ways. For example, Li Qiang served as Secretary of the Wenzhou Municipal Committee from 2002 to 2004, while Zhao Yide held various positions in Wenzhou, including Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Committee, Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee, and Mayor from 2006 to 2011. Li Qiang's previous role as Secretary-General of the Provincial Committee was later succeeded by Zhao Yide.

Furthermore, during Li Qiang's time as Governor of Zhejiang Province, Zhao Yide, as a member of the Standing Committee and Secretary-General, was responsible for daily operations and coordinating relationships. Given their shared hometown and hierarchical connections, it is likely that they have a good relationship.

Even after Zhao Yide was reassigned in 2015 to lead the provincial capital city of Hangzhou, he maintained a superior-subordinate relationship with Li Qiang, who was still serving as Governor, and their professional interactions remained close.

In other words, Zhao Yide has caught the attention of Xi Jinping, who previously governed Zhejiang, but his relationship with Li Qiang appears to be even closer. Zhao Yide's promotion may have been backed by a recommendation from Li Qiang. Currently, Zhao Yide is rumored to be entering the Politburo and taking on the role of Director of the General Office. Could this also be a suggestion from Li Qiang? Has he also gained Xi's approval? Does this imply that at the Fifth Plenary Session, Li Qiang will replace Xi as General Secretary?

On January 24, 2025, the Military Daily published a report titled 'The Shaanxi Provincial Military District Deeply Studies and Implements the Spirit of the Central Military Commission's Political Work Conference.' Similar to many military reports from that period, this report mentioned 'Chairman Xi' only once, with no further references to him throughout the text, nor any expressions of flattery or loyalty.

This stance is markedly different from previous reports that frequently mentioned 'Chairman Xi' and is believed to have been approved by Zhao Yide, the First Secretary of the Provincial Military District Party Committee. As a member of Xi's faction, Zhao Yide's statement likely did not originate from Xi Jinping himself, but rather from the decisions of the elder statesmen of the Communist Party who were maneuvering behind the scenes at that time, allowing the military districts of Jiangsu and Shaanxi, both connected to Xi, to make a statement.

This indicates that Zhao Yide is not a 'die-hard' loyalist to Xi. In fact, given the changing circumstances and Xi's diminishing control over power due to health issues, among the high-ranking officials who have navigated the political landscape of the Communist Party for many years, how many can truly be considered die-hard loyalists to Xi? Cai Qi is not, Wang Xiaohong is not, and neither is Li Qiang.

Zhao Yide, who previously 'downplayed' Xi, has not only escaped punishment but has actually been promoted further. What does this suggest? Does it reaffirm that Xi's 'supreme' status is no longer what it once was?

(First published by People News) △