The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has accelerated a series of senior provincial-level personnel changes ahead of a key party meeting, with new leaders installed in Shanghai and Gansu and the fate of the outgoing officials left unclear.
On Sept. 4, Zhu Zhongming was appointed acting mayor of Shanghai after Gong Zheng resigned from the post, according to state media Xinhua News Agency. Two days earlier, Kong Shaoxun was named acting governor of Gansu province after Ren Zhenhe stepped down.
The moves come ahead of the CCP’s Fifth Plenum of the 20th Central Committee, a meeting that is expected to focus on major policy and personnel issues. Both Zhu and Kong are not members or alternate members of the Party’s Central Committee, making their elevation to top provincial-level government positions notable.
The reshuffle could also help shape the party’s leadership lineup ahead of the 21st National Congress next year, where a new Central Committee will be selected.
A native of Zhejiang Province, Zhu previously served as head of the Zhejiang provincial finance department, vice governor of Hunan Province and vice minister of finance. He became deputy secretary of the Shanghai Communist Party Committee in July 2024 and later also took charge of the city’s political and legal affairs.
His rapid rise has drawn attention to his connections in Zhejiang, where he worked during the tenure of current Chinese Premier Li Qiang, who served as Zhejiang’s governor from 2013 to 2016.
Hong Kong’s pro-Beijing newspaper Ming Pao reported that Zhu’s promotion was largely linked to his Zhejiang background, particularly his ties to Li.
Independent political commentator Cai Shenkun said on X that Zhu had effectively secured a place among the Central Committee members expected to be selected at the 21st National Congress.
Gong, 66, had reached the customary retirement age for officials at the ministerial level. The official announcement said nothing about another appointment for him.
In Gansu Province, Kong, like Zhu, is not a member or alternate member of the Central Committee, making his appointment to acting governor another notable promotion to a top provincial government post.
Cai said on X that Kong’s appointment represented his formal elevation to a provincial-ministerial-level position and that he had “taken the lead in securing a Central Committee position at the 21st National Congress.”
Kong’s career has included extensive work inside the CCP’s powerful General Office, which handles much of the Party leadership’s internal administration.
Kong also became known internationally after an incident at the closing session of the CCP’s 20th National Congress in October 2022.
During the session, he was among the officials involved in escorting former Chinese leader Hu Jintao out of the meeting. The unexplained removal of Hu, who appeared reluctant to leave, triggered widespread speculation that the incident reflected tensions and infighting within the Party leadership.
Kong’s move from the Party’s central administrative apparatus to the top government post in Gansu now places him in charge of a provincial government at a politically significant moment.
The appointments in Shanghai and Gansu share several features. Both outgoing provincial-level government chiefs have departed without an immediately announced new position, while their successors have been promoted despite not holding Central Committee membership.
Neither the Communist Party nor the official announcements have said that the two appointments are connected to preparations for the 21st National Congress. The official explanations also provide little information about why their predecessors left their posts.
However, the timing of the changes, coming as the Party prepares for the Fifth Plenum and looks toward its next leadership cycle, has intensified attention on personnel maneuvering at the provincial level.
Tang Bing contributed to this report.
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