Ding Xuexiang

Ding Xuexiang (born 13 September 1962) is a Chinese politician who is currently the first-ranked vice premier of China and the sixth-ranked member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party. He has also been leader of the Central Leading Group on Hong Kong and Macau Affairs since March 2023.

Considered a close confidant of CCP general secretary Xi Jinping, Ding served on Xi's staff beginning in Shanghai, then followed him to Beijing. He served as the director of the CCP General Secretary's Office between 2013 and 2023 and the director of the CCP General Office between 2017 and 2023. He was also a member of the 19th Party Politburo, and a Secretary of the Party Secretariat between 2017 and 2022.

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. 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 and the Secretariat of the CCP in October 2017 as director of the CCP General Office while retaining the post of CCP General Secretary's office director (chief of staff).

Vice Premiership
Following the first plenary session of the 20th CCP Central Committee in October 2022, Ding was elevated to the CCP Politburo Standing Committee, the top decision-making body in China. Upon his nomination, Voice of America described Ding as "loyal and strong in coordination, but lacking experience in macroeconomic management and other people's livelihood affairs".

Ding succeeded Han Zheng as the first-ranking vice premier of China and leader of the Central Leading Group on Hong Kong and Macau Affairs in March 2023. His portfolio included development and reform, education, science and technology, finance, ecology and environment, statistics, and intellectual property. In June 2024, he was revealed to be the leader of the Central Science and Technology Commission.

In July 2023 China and the European Union hold the Fourth EU-China High Level Environment and Climate Dialogue. The European delegation to China was led by Frans Timmermans, while China was represented by Ding Xuexiang. Both sides declared they will continue to cooperate in stopping climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. Both sides agree to ensure the success of COP28, implement the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, advance the High Seas Treaty, cooperate in water policy, reach a global agreement on plastic pollution by 2024. Both sides agree to support circular economy. In November 2023, Ding attended COP28 in Dubai.