Shi Taifeng

Shi Taifeng (born September 1956) is a Chinese politician currently serving as the head of the United Front Work Department (UFWD) of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the first-ranking vice chairperson of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). He is additionally a member of the CCP Politburo and a secretary of the CCP Secretariat.

Originally from Shanxi province, Shi spent part of his career at the Central Party School. He has served as the Deputy Party secretary of Jiangsu from 2011 to 2015. From 2014 to 2016, he has served as the Communist Party secretary of Suzhou, and as the governor of Jiangsu from 2015 to 2017. He was then moved to Ningxia, where he served as the CCP secretary from 2017 to 2019, and later to Inner Mongolia, where he served as the CCP secretary from 2019 to 2022. He also briefly served as the President of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in 2022. He became a member of the Politburo and head of the UFWD in 2022. He was further promoted as the first-ranking CPPCC vice chairperson in 2023.

Early life
Shi Taifeng was born in Yushe County, Shanxi, in 1956. During the Cultural Revolution he was a sent-down youth in his home county, performing manual labour. He then studied machinery at a local college before entering the work force as a factory worker. Following the resumption of the National College Entrance Exams, Shi was admitted to Peking University and obtained a master's degree in law. There, he was a classmate of Li Keqiang, who later became the Premier. After graduation, he served as a political instructor at the Central Party School, where he primarily taught law.

Political career
He worked as the deputy party chief of Jin County, Hebei, before joining the research office of the Central Party School, then heading the Organization Department of the school. He spent about a year studying abroad at the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands in 1991. In July 2001, Shi was named vice president of the Central Party School.

In 2008, Shi became a member of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, a member of the Law Committee of the NPC. In September 2010 he joined the provincial Party Standing Committee and became head of the Organization Department of the Jiangsu party organization. He subsequently was elevated to deputy party chief of Jiangsu province. In 2012, Shi elected alternate member of the Central Committee of the CCP by the 18th CCP National Congress.

In June 2014 he began serving concurrently as the party secretary of Suzhou, an important city on the Yangtze River Delta and an area of high concentration for manufacturing and foreign investment. During this time it was said that Shi honed his credentials as 'first-in-charge' of a major city, in preparation for his taking higher office. In December 2015, after a series of consultative meetings, Shi Taifeng was elevated to acting Governor of Jiangsu province, replacing Li Xueyong, who retired due to age. He was duly confirmed as governor by a full session of the provincial People's Congress on January 28, 2016.

In April 2017, Shi appointed as the Communist Party Secretary of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.

In October 2019, Shi was appointed as the Communist Party Secretary of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. During his tenure, Shi was in charge of the anti-corruption campaign in Inner Mongolia, with more than 60 senior local officials falling under him. Shi also mandated some school subjects should be taught in Mandarin Chinese, rather than Mongolian, leading to the eruption of protests.

In May 2022, he was appointed as the president and party secretary of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, succeeding Xie Fuzhan.

United Front Work Department
Following the 1st Plenary Session of the 20th CCP Central Committee, held after the closing day of the 20th Party Congress in October 2022, Shi was promoted as a member of the Politburo. On 28 October 2022, Shi was appointed as head of the United Front Work Department, succeeding You Quan. Shi was elected as the first-ranking vice chairperson of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference on 10 March 2023. On 11 September, he was chosen as the executive vice president of the China Council for the Promotion of Peaceful National Reunification, a body designed to advance unification with Taiwan; the UFWD director also generally serves as the executive vice president of the council.