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Xi Jinping’s chief of staff is China’s new internet tsar, sources say
- People familiar with the matter say Cai Qi has been appointed to head the Communist Party’s Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission
- Move reflects a trend in the past year of the president delegating more duties to trusted deputies, according to analysts
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Cai Qi, the president’s chief of staff, has taken charge of the Communist Party body overseeing cybersecurity and the internet in China, sources say.
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As the new internet tsar, Cai will oversee the country’s digital economy, which is worth more than 50 trillion yuan (US$6.9 trillion).
The position had been held by Xi Jinping since 2014, and analysts say the move reflects a trend in the past year of the Chinese leader delegating more responsibilities to trusted deputies.
Three official sources familiar with the matter told the South China Morning Post that Xi had appointed Cai to head the party’s Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission.
The body was set up by Xi in 2014 – two years after he became Communist Party leader – to consolidate the party’s direct control over the internet. It started as the Central Leading Group for Cyber Affairs and was expanded to a commission in 2018.
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