ANALYSIS: Xi Jinping’s Confidant Cai Qi Takes Center Stage, Weakens Premier Li Qiang

Rising influence of Fujian clan overshadows Zhejiang clan in the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party.

(L-R) Politburo Standing Committee members Cai Qi, Wang Huning and Li Qiang attend the second plenary session of the National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 7, 2023. GREG BAKER/AFP via Getty Images

After Chinese leader Xi Jinping gained absolute power at the 20th National Congress, his cronies who have developed personal relationships with him from his previous positions in Fujian, Zhejiang, and Shanghai have become China’s new cabinet members.

But such a combination does not guarantee monolithic unity with the Fujian clan, led by Cai Qi gaining the upper hand over the Zhejiang clan in the recent political struggles.