Tian Zining, Mayor of Beijing, Appointed to Shanghai Party Secretary in a 'Bold Move'

President Xi Jinping's Tsinghua University Network and Renowned Environmental Scientist
Seemingly Part of a Strategy to Promote a 'Technical Bureaucrat' to the Forefront

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Kim Hyunjung] Chen Jining, the mayor of Beijing known as a Tsinghua University connection of President Xi Jinping, has been appointed as the Party Secretary of Shanghai. Appointing Chen, an environmental scientist, to lead the country’s largest economic city is seen as President Xi’s strategy to place science and technology bureaucrats at the forefront.

On the 28th, Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported, citing multiple sources, that Chen was scheduled to be appointed that day. Chen was reported to have arrived in Shanghai the day before.

Born in 1964 in Jilin Province and 58 years old this year, Chen is a representative of Xi Jinping’s Tsinghua University faction, known as the “Tsinghua Gang,” and a technocrat. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in environmental engineering from Tsinghua University and completed his doctoral studies at Imperial College London in the UK. Afterward, he returned to his alma mater, serving as a professor in the Department of Environmental Science and Engineering and later as president in 2012.

In 2015, he was appointed Minister of Environmental Protection as the youngest minister in the Chinese cabinet, then rose steadily as Deputy Party Secretary of Beijing in 2017 and Mayor of Beijing in 2018. The Post emphasized, “Appointing Chen to the top position in China’s economic city is President Xi Jinping’s strategy to place individuals with scientific backgrounds in key positions.” In fact, among the 13 new members entering the 19th Central Committee’s Politburo, six have backgrounds related to science and technology. Besides Chen, Li Ganjie, Party Secretary of Shandong Province, and Zhang Guoqing, Party Secretary of Liaoning Province, are notable examples.

The Post predicted that Chen’s political career now has opportunities for further promotion. SCMP explained, “The position of Shanghai Party Secretary generally opens the path for promotion to the Politburo Standing Committee,” adding, “Xi Jinping himself is an example of this.”

Chen’s appointment reportedly caused unrest among Shanghai officials, as most of his academic and political career was based in Beijing. Xie Maosong, senior researcher at the Taihe Institute and senior researcher at Tsinghua University’s National Strategy Institute, described Chen as a loyalist with strong expertise who meets President Xi’s criteria for promotion. He said, “Chen’s ability to achieve President Xi’s policy goals likely led to his selection as Shanghai’s top official,” adding, “Environmental issues are a major political goal set by the Party leadership, and Chen has delivered visible results in Beijing by enabling the city to see blue skies more frequently.”

Chen was also the Executive Chairman of the Organizing Committee for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics. When China hosted the Olympics in February, it implemented a strict zero-COVID policy to prevent outbreaks in the capital.