On April 2, 2025, the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) state media reported that Shi Taifeng, the former Minister of the CCP’s United Front Work Department, and Li Ganjie, the former Minister of the Organization Department, had switched jobs. Both of are CCP Politburo members. There is no precedent for a position swap among CCP Politburo members. Chinese state media have been silent on the implications of this unusual exchange.
The CCP’s Organization Department, which will now be led by Shi Taifeng, is a prominent department that appoints officials and evaluates their performance.
Shi Taifeng’s background is particularly sensitive. He graduated from Tsinghua University, the alma mater of former Premier Li Keqiang and Hu Chunhua (who is a prominent figure in the Communist Youth League faction). Shi spent nearly 20 years at the Central Party School, serving as Vice President for nine years under three different Party School heads: Hu Jintao, Zeng Qinghong, and Xi Jinping. In March 2016, when the retired CCP General Secretary Hu Jintao visited Shi Taifeng’s hometown in Taizhou, Jiangsu, Shi (who was then the governor of Jiangsu Province) made a special visit to meet Hu and his wife. From January 2016 to April 2017, Shi served as Deputy Secretary and Governor of Jiangsu Province, serving under Li Qiang, who was the Jiangsu Party Secretary from June 2016 to October 2017 and who is currently serving as the Chinese Premier.
Despite Shi’s close ties to the Communist Youth League faction, he has been careful to align with Xi Jinping. Once Shi realized that Xi held an unfavorable opinion of Shi’s schoolmate Hu Chunhua, Shi, then Party Secretary of Inner Mongolia, launched a so-called “20-year retrospective” anti-corruption campaign to effectively purge Hu’s former allies. Hu had been party chief of Inner Mongolia (2009 – 2012). Shi’s forceful suppression of the Mongolian language and his promotion of Mandarin in Inner Mongolia pleased Xi Jinping, and later Shi was promoted to be the party chief of Inner Mongolia (2019 – 2022).
The former Minister of the Organization Department, Li Ganjie, is a close associate of Xi Jinping. He had been recommended by Chen Xi, another Xi ally from Tsinghua University. Li is the youngest member of the CCP Politburo. His leaving the critical post at the head of the CCP’s Organization Department suggests that he was no longer trusted and has most likely lost his shot at promotion to the Politburo Standing Committee in the CCP’s 21st National Congress in 2027.
At 68 years old, Shi Taifeng is also unlikely to enter top CCP leadership. He may just play a key role in the political maneuver to prepare for the CCP’s 21st National Congress. Many political commentators think this job swap is an indication of Xi Jinping’s weakening grip on power.
Source: Secret China, April 6, 2025
https://www.secretchina.com/news/gb/2025/04/06/1080157.html