The State Council of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) announced multiple appointments yesterday, involving various units such as the General Administration of Customs, China Academy of Engineering Physics, National Social Security Fund Council, People’s Bank of China, and Ministry of Civil Affairs. Analysts believe that these appointments reflect the chaotic infighting within the CCP.
According to the CCP Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security on February 10th, the State Council appointed Zou Lan as the Vice President of the CCP People’s Bank of China, appointed Sun Meijun as the Director of the CCP General Administration of Customs, Shu Wei as the Director of the CCP State Administration for Market Regulation, Deng Zhiyong as the Director of the CCP State Administration of Standardization, Liu Guohong as the Director of the CCP National Forestry and Grassland Administration (National Park Administration), Huang Ming and Chen Jun as Deputy Directors of the China Academy of Engineering Physics, Tang Li as the Director of the Science and Technology Committee of the China Academy of Engineering Physics, and Liu Kun as the Chairman of the CCP National Social Security Fund Council.
The CCP Ministry of Human Resources further indicated that the State Council relieved Li Baojun of his position as the Vice Minister of the CCP Ministry of Civil Affairs, removed Chen Chenzhao from the position of Deputy Supervisor General (full-time) of the National Natural Resources Agency, removed Liu Guohong from his positions as the Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and the Deputy Supervisor General of Natural Resources, removed Yang Guorui from the position of Deputy Director of the National Radio and Television Administration, removed Liu Wei from the position of Chairman of the National Social Security Fund Council, and relieved Ding Xuedong of the position of Vice Chairman of the National Social Security Fund Council.
Sun Meijun officially took office as the Director of the General Administration of Customs, after the CCP Organization Department had announced on January 21, 2025, that Sun Meijun was appointed as the Secretary of the Party Committee of the General Administration of Customs. Former Director of the General Administration of Customs Yu Jianhua was officially announced to have passed away due to illness in December last year, but rumors circulated that it was a suicide.
Independent commentator Cai Shenkun stated on December 12th on X platform that Yu Jianhua’s rise was related to Ding Xuexiang, a member of the CCP Political Bureau and also from Jiangsu. Projects of the General Administration of Customs annually deliver massive benefits to individuals associated with Ding Xuexiang.
The recent personnel adjustments have also brought attention to the National Social Security Fund Council (hereinafter referred to as the Social Fund Council).
Former Minister of Finance of the CCP, Liu Kun, is already 68 years old. When he stepped down as Minister of Finance in 2023, he had already exceeded the retirement age of 67 for officials at ministerial level. On January 17th this year, he succeeded Ding Xuedong as the Secretary of the Party Group of the Social Security Fund Council, and on February 7th, he further replaced Liu Wei as the Chairman of the Social Security Fund Council. Ding Xuedong was born in 1960, while Liu Wei was born in 1961, both younger than Liu Kun.
After more than a year since stepping down, Liu Kun has uncommonly taken on the roles of Secretary of the Party Group and Chairman of the CCP Social Security Fund Council that were previously held by different officials. He has even returned to the Ministry of Finance, now serving as a member of the Party Group of the Ministry of Finance. It is rare in the CCP political arena for retired officials to return to prominent positions.
Liu Kun is an old classmate of Vice Premier He Lifeng, who is in charge of finance within the CCP, and He Lifeng is a close confidant of Xi Jinping. The nepotistic placement of officials by He Lifeng attracts attention.
Ding Xuedong, relieved of his position as Vice Chairman of the Social Security Fund Council, had previously been removed as Secretary of the Party Group of the Social Security Fund Council. Ding Xuedong served as the Deputy Secretary-General of the State Council in 2018, then transferred to the positions of Secretary of the Party Group and Vice Chairman of the Social Security Fund Council after serving Vice Premier Han Zheng and current Premier Li Keqiang, but was recently dismissed. Of the six former Deputy Secretary-Generals of the State Council, the previous five, including Ma Kai, Wang Yang, Zhang Ping, You Quan, and Xiao Jie, all held at least vice-ministerial ranks or higher, while Ding Xuedong ended up disappointed.
In the latest personnel announcements from the State Council of the CCP, Huang Ming and Chen Jun were appointed as Deputy Directors of the China Academy of Engineering Physics, and Tang Li was appointed as the Director of the Science and Technology Committee of the China Academy of Engineering Physics.
The China Academy of Engineering Physics is one of the CCP’s military state-owned enterprises and is a research institution for nuclear weapons development. During the recent extensive cleansing within the military-industrial complex in the past two years, it did not escape unscathed.
On July 5th last year, the State Council of the CCP announced the dismissal of the 62-year-old Director of the China Academy of Engineering Physics, Liu Cangli, and the 53-year-old Deputy Director Mo Zeyao, with reasons undisclosed, and their whereabouts not officially announced. The new Director, He Yingbo, previously served as the Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of the institute.
On December 26th last year, Zhang Kejian, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and Director of the National Defense Science and Technology Industry Bureau, was relieved of his position as Secretary of the Party Group of the National Defense Science and Technology Industry Bureau. He had not been seen for several months prior, with rumors of being under investigation. Zhang Kejian had previously served as the Secretary of the Party Committee of the China Academy of Engineering Physics.
Political commentator Li Linyi analyzed that the current CCP authorities are handling senior officials in a more opaque manner. Those who have been absent for a period or have been removed for unclear reasons should have already been investigated. This includes the announced death due to illness of the Director of the General Administration of Customs and the rumored suicide, which may be genuine.
Li Linyi stated that the massive amount of information revealed in the recent personnel changes within the State Council indicates that various systems within the CCP are currently in disarray and rotten. The return of Liu Kun, the classmate of He Lifeng, after retirement, displacing higher-ranking officials younger than him, illustrates the intense competition for territories of interest. It can be said that the appointment information corresponds to the chaos of the infighting within the CCP.