President Xi's trusted aide is about to become the head of national intelligence?
(Baonghean.vn) - On February 28, informed sources said that Mr. Wang Xiaohong, Deputy Minister of Public Security of China, a close aide of President Xi Jinping, was chosen to lead the national intelligence agency, in the context that the country is considering cleaning up the security apparatus and narrowing the intelligence gap.
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| Mr. Wang Xiaohong, 60 years old, will replace Mr. Tran Van Thanh to hold the position of Minister of State Security of China. Photo: Getty |
China has poured billions of yuan into domestic security, but in recent times the Ministry of State Security and the Ministry of Public Security have seen many senior officials involved in corruption scandals and intelligence failures.
Sources familiar with the matter said that Mr. Wang Xiaohong, 60 years old, will replace Mr. Tran Van Thanh as Minister of State Security at the opening session of the National Assembly on March 5.
Chen Wenqing, 58, will become China’s top prosecutor after more than a year as minister of the Ministry of State Security, which is responsible for counterintelligence, foreign intelligence and national security. The personnel change is part of a broader cabinet reshuffle during the upcoming two-week session of parliament.
Mr. Wang and President Xi have a longstanding relationship. Mr. Wang is from Fujian province in southeastern China, where Mr. Xi spent 17 years gaining experience, from 1985 to 2002. “They are very close,” said a source familiar with the matter. “Mr. Wang Xiaohong often helps take care of President Xi Jinping’s daughter.”
In 2013, a year after Xi took power, China established a new national security council headed by Xi. While details of how it would operate and what its duties would be are unclear, the Chinese government has indicated that it will have a more domestic focus.
Analysts say the council is modeled on the US National Security Council and will enhance coordination between different wings of China's security apparatus./.
