In a reshuffle of China’s top police agency, a public security chief who has crossed career paths with some of the country’s senior leaders, will head a body responsible for the security of leading officials.
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Ling Zhifeng, director of the Ministry of Public Security’s political department, has also been named a vice-minister and head of the Special Service Bureau, also known as the Eighth Bureau.
This bureau is one of two agencies responsible for the security of senior Chinese officials.
Its task is to ensure the safety of the vice-president, vice-premiers, and vice-chairmen of both the National People’s Congress, the country’s highest legislative body, and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, the highest political advisory body.
The bureau is also responsible for the security of some high-ranking foreign officials visiting China and has taken part in various United Nations peacekeeping missions.
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Security for the most senior Chinese officials, including President Xi Jinping and the other six members of the Politburo Standing Committee – the country’s highest decision-making body – is handled by the Central Guard Bureau, known as the Ninth Bureau.