Shi Taifeng

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 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 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 October 2019, Shi was appointed the Party Secretary of Inner Mongolia. 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. In May 2022, he was appointed the president and party secretary of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, succeeding Xie Fuzhan. Politburo 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 head of the United Front Work Department, succeeding You Quan. 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. In August 2024, Shi made an inspection trip to Hong Kong, where he met with Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu. He also gave a speech to the Overseas Chinese World Conference for Promoting Peaceful Reunification of China held in Hong Kong, saying the "continuous development" of one country, two systems would play an "important role in realizing the complete reunification of the motherland" with Taiwan. On 2 April 2025, South China Morning Post reported that Shi had succeeded Li Ganjie as the head of the Organization Department, while Li replaced Shi as the head of the United Front Work Department. On 13 December, at the Nanjing Massacre Memorial Day, Shi gave a speech saying that under the leadership of the CCP, China had beaten invaders and become a great nation, continuing by saying that "History has proven and will continue to prove that any attempt to revive militarism, challenge the postwar international order, and undermine world peace and stability is doomed to failure". ==References==