Beijing mayor Chen Jining in ‘surprise’ promotion to top job in Shanghai
- Chen was said to have arrived in Shanghai on Thursday evening and an official announcement was made on Friday
- Appointment seen as part of President Xi Jinping’s strategy to put people with strong scientific backgrounds into key roles
The official announcement was made on Friday morning by state news agency Xinhua. Chen had arrived in Shanghai on Thursday evening, sources told the Post.
Yin Yong, deputy party chief of Beijing, was named acting mayor of the city. At 53 he is one of the youngest ministerial-level cadres in China.
Chen, 58, is an environmental scientist who studied at Tsinghua University and also has a doctorate from Imperial College London.
Six of the 13 new members of the Politburo have strong science and tech backgrounds.
It will also be an important move for Chen’s political career – the Shanghai party secretary post usually paves the way for further elevation to the Politburo Standing Committee. Xi himself is an example of this.
Chen stayed on as a research associate at Imperial College London after obtaining a doctorate in civil and environmental engineering in 1993.
