60 year old Cai Qi, a long-time protégé of President Xi Jinping who spent a decade at his side in Fujian and then Zhejiang province, was appointed Party Secretary of Beijing on May 27, 2017. He was till immediately before that Mayor of Beijing. Cai Qi came to prominence in 2014, when he was promoted as Deputy Director of the General Office at the National Security Commission, a body founded and chaired by Xi. According to one political source his rapid rise has caused hard feelings among other officials. The source was quoted by South China Morning Post as saying “Quite a number of cadres, including some at the ministerial level, are not convinced by Cai’s quick promotion. They don’t think Cai has what it takes.” That’s because even the country’s most senior cadres had to spend at least five years at the rank of minister before taking a further step up the career ladder. Beijing-based political commentator Zhang Lifan said Cai’s promotion suggested the top leaders were now less inclined to value seniority. He said “Beijing does not see experience as so important now. A lot of cadres with no impressive experience are being promoted.”

Cai Qi has strongly advocated a cyber security law in an interview in June 2012. He said “The key technologies are still in the hands of the West, so we have to develop our own software. And we need to make laws on cybersecurity as soon as possible.”  Cybersecurity is one of Xi Jinping's top concerns and he established a Central Leading Group on Cyber security. Cai Qi also called for the party to stake its claim to the battlefield of the internet to take firmer control of the country. He said “The battle for the internet is a war without smoke. The party has to see the internet as a battlefield if it wants to consolidate its power.”

(Comment: This promotion considerably improves Cai Qi's chances of entering the Politburo at the 19th Party Congress in November this year. Unlike most senior CCP cadres, Cai Qi  does not dye his hair to look younger. He is also a fan of the US TV show House of Cards and is on the record as an avid user of Apple’s iPhone and iPad.)