1. Cai Qi is a Chinese politician, who is the current first-ranked secretary of the Secretariat of the Chinese Communist Party, fifth-ranking member of the CCP Politburo Standing Committee and the director of the CCP General Office, making him the de facto chief of staff to the CCP General Secretary.
Cai Qi was born in Youxi County, Fujian province on December 5,1955.
Cai Qi joined the Chinese Communist Party in August 1975.
Cai Qi attended Fujian Normal University and graduated in 1978 with a degree in political economics.
Cai Qi worked as the deputy director of the Office of Political Reform between 1991 and 1992, deputy director of the Party Building Department between 1992 and 1993, and deputy director of the Provincial Party General Office between 1993 and 1996.
Cai Qi additionally attended a four-month training program for department and prefecture-level cadres at the CCP Central Party School in 1996.
In September 1996 Cai Qi took on his first major role in local government as the deputy CCP secretary, and later in November 1997, mayor of the city of Sanming in Fujian, working there until 1999.
Cai Qi was transferred to Zhejiang province in May 1999 serving as the deputy CCP committee secretary and Mayor of Quzhou, working there until 2002.
Cai Qi additionally pursued a doctoral degree in political economics, which he obtained from September 1999 to July 2001 at Fujian Normal University through part-time studies.
Between March 2002 and April 2004 Cai Qi served as Quzhou's CCP secretary, the top political office of the city.
Cai Qi engaged with the "Eight-eight Strategy" of the Zhejiang Provincial Committee and executed the dual initiatives of designating the city as an industrial hub and capitalizing on its developmental advantages, thereby establishing a foundation for advancement in Quzhou.
In July 2008, as Hangzhou mayor, Cai Qi started a scheme to recruit petition liaison officers.
In November 2013, Cai Qi became the Executive Vice Governor of Zhejiang province, where he was the deputy of then Governor of Zhejiang Li Qiang.
Cai Qi made the announcement of his change in jobs on his Tencent Weibo account before the official media's announcement was made.
In March 2014, Cai Qi was said to have been transferred to Beijing to work as the deputy director of the General Office of the CCP National Security Commission, a newly established body led by CCP general secretary Xi Jinping, though no official announcement was made about this appointment.
On 31 October 2016, Cai Qi was appointed acting mayor of Beijing, replacing Wang Anshun.
On 7 January 2017, Cai Qi announced the creation of a new environmental police, which he said would target target open-air barbecues, garbage incineration and the burning of wood and other biomass.
Cai Qi set ambitious targets for reducing pollution in the city.
Cai Qi was formally appointed as mayor by the Beijing Municipal People's Congress on 20 January 2017.
Cai Qi was appointed as the deputy CCP committee secretary of Beijing.
In May 2017, Cai Qi was appointed as CCP committee secretary of Beijing.
Cai Qi's appointment broke nearly all conventions in post-Cultural Revolution political tradition; he was neither a member nor alternate member of the Central Committee, and took on an office that would, under normal circumstances, be accorded Politburo membership.
In preparation for the 19th CCP National Congress, Cai Qi called for strengthening social controls and cyber security defense, and cracking down on "various political rumors and harmful information" in September 2017.
Cai Qi was appointed to the 19th CCP Politburo immediately after the 19th CCP National Congress in October 2017, becoming one of the few people to be appointed to the Politburo before serving at the CCP Central Committee.
In 2017, early in his tenure, Cai Qi came under controversy due to the forceful eviction of many migrant workers from Beijing.
Cai Qi devoted work to national security issues, especially cybersecurity.
In June 2020, Cai Qi was appointed to lead the team charged with the elimination of coronavirus in the Xinfadi market.
Cai Qi gave an opening speech during the opening ceremony of the Olympics, as well as during the closing ceremony.
Cai Qi was awarded the Gold Olympic Order after the Olympics.
On November 13,2022, Cai Qi relinquished his position as Secretary of the Beijing Municipal Committee, being succeeded by Yin Li.
On December 6,2022, Cai Qi officiated Jiang Zemin's memorial service at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
Cai Qi was revealed as a deputy head of the CCP National Security Commission in May 2023.
Cai Qi has frequently accompanied Xi on trips, responsible for arranging his security, schedule and daily affairs.
Cai Qi spoke at the annual National Publicity Ministers Work Conference in January 2023, where he called on officials to use core socialist values, improve foreign propaganda work, and uphold Xi Jinping Thought and Two Establishes and Two Upholds.
At the January 2024 annual NPMWC, Cai Qi called on propaganda officials to "strengthen positive publicity and public opinion" and "sing loudly about China's bright economic prospects".
In January 2025, Cai Qi called on officials to step up promotion of China's economic achievements at the annual NPMWC conference.
Cai Qi is known for his extensive use of social media and his unorthodox approach to governance.
Cai Qi has referred to Xi as "Xi Dada" and "Boss Xi" in public media.
Cai Qi has stated of the CCP that: He stopped posting on Weibo after his transfer to Beijing in March 2014.