IN CHINESE slang, it used to be said that an official who was rising unusually fast up the bureaucratic ranks was “riding a helicopter”. Nowadays it is more common to say that such a person is enjoying a “rocket-style promotion”. Cai Qi is a striking example of someone whose career has thus defied political convention. He was launched in May to the post of Communist Party chief of Beijing, becoming the capital’s most senior official, and is all but certain to be elevated directly to the ruling Politburo later this year, without first tarrying on the lower rung of the Central Committee. Mr Cai’s ascent is a sign that China’s president, Xi Jinping, is tightening his control over the city. He has turned to an unusual personality to help him.
The politics of the capital are hugely important to the central leadership. Beijing’s party chief is responsible for the city’s security, which the government sees as critical to stability elsewhere (in 1989 the Tiananmen Square...Continue reading
Source: China http://ift.tt/2sUjFVn
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