Chinese Leader Xi Appoints Loyal Subordinate to Head Bodyguard Force

Chinese Leader Xi Appoints Loyal Subordinate to Head Bodyguard Force
Chinese security personnel jog alongside a car carrying Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte as he arrives at Beijing Capital International Airport to attend the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing on April 26, 2019. MARK SCHIEFELBEIN/AFP via Getty Images
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Wang Xiaohong, a Chinese official who has previously worked under Chinese leader Xi Jinping when the latter was rising through the ranks in Fujian Province, was recently appointed director of the Special Security Bureau, a security force in charge of protecting senior Communist Party officials and visiting foreign state leaders.
Some China analysts say the personnel change is a sign that Xi may soon reorganize China’s security agencies.

Unusual Appointment

China’s state-run Beijing News reported on Nov. 4 that Wang Xiaohong, deputy minister of public security (MPS), was appointed Chinese Communist Party (CCP) secretary and director of the Special Security Bureau. The MPS is in charge of China’s police.
Nicole Hao
Nicole Hao
Author
Nicole Hao is a Washington-based reporter focused on China-related topics. Before joining the Epoch Media Group in July 2009, she worked as a global product manager for a railway business in Paris, France.
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