Before the 20th Fifth Plenary Session of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), there have been frequent personnel changes among local high-ranking officials. On September 30, Zhu Zhongming, who was promoted to the position of a department-level official, officially assumed the position of Mayor of Shanghai. Zhu Zhongming has been referred to as the “little brother” of CCP Premier Li Keqiang. After taking office, Zhu’s official resume was shortened, omitting details such as birthplace and educational background, which has sparked attention.
Zhu Zhongming, a member of the post-70s generation and Deputy Secretary of the CCP Shanghai Municipal Committee, was officially “elected” as the Mayor of Shanghai on September 30 at the 16th Shanghai Municipal People’s Congress. Prior to this, he had served as the Acting Mayor of Shanghai for less than a month.
Public records show that the 54-year-old Zhu Zhongming, originally from Haining, Zhejiang Province, previously held positions such as Secretary of the Party Committee and Director of the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Finance, Vice Governor of Hunan Province, and Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Finance. In July 2024, he was appointed Deputy Secretary of the Shanghai Municipal Committee and later also served as Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee.
On September 4 of this year, the Standing Committee of the 16th Shanghai Municipal People’s Congress decided to “accept the request of Gong Zheng to resign from the position of Shanghai Mayor.” Zhu Zhongming was then appointed as Deputy Mayor and Acting Mayor of Shanghai.
Zhu Zhongming is not a member of the CCP Central Committee or a candidate member, making his promotion this time unconventional.
According to a report from Hong Kong’s Ming Pao, Zhu Zhongming’s rapid advancement is mainly attributed to his background in Zhejiang and especially the support of CCP Premier Li Keqiang. Zhu Zhongming had interactions with Li Keqiang during his time working in Zhejiang, where Li served as the Governor from 2013 to 2016.
Independent commentator Cai Shenkun stated on the X platform that Li Keqiang’s “little brother” Zhu Zhongming has officially taken over from Gong Zheng, preemptively locking in the list of Central Committee members for the upcoming 21st CCP National Congress.
It is noteworthy that less than a week after Zhu Zhongming was appointed as Acting Mayor of Shanghai on September 4, the official website of the Shanghai Municipal Government updated his resume. Zhu Zhongming’s resume now only states: “Zhu Zhongming, male, Han ethnicity, born in April 1972, Bachelor’s degree, Master of Public Administration, CCP member.” Not only is his birthplace omitted, even the name of the university he graduated from has been removed from the page.
Commentator Cai Shenkun analyzed that the reason for the shrinking of officials’ resumes is to prevent the public from knowing the details of their backgrounds and political connections.
An article from Hong Kong 01 noted that if Zhu Zhongming’s career goes smoothly in the future, he may have the opportunity to further advance, such as becoming the Party Secretary of a province, city, or district. Being an official in Shanghai, Zhu’s career prospects have a distinct advantage among post-70s officials.
Chinese affairs expert Li Linyi told Epoch Times that under the leadership of Xi Jinping, these highly praised “young” officials in the media often become targets for attacks. Even if no one dares to claim themselves as Xi’s successor, Xi is still worried that these high-ranking officials may gather influence around them. Once any leverage is found, they will be immediately taken down.