Recently, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officially announced that Lin Tao, the Deputy Secretary-General of the State Council, has been reassigned to Fujian, serving as a member of the CCP Fujian Provincial Committee and the Secretary of the Xiamen Municipal Committee. The previous Secretary of the Xiamen Municipal Committee, Cui Yonghui, has not revealed his next move, sparking speculations from the public.
Xiamen held a leadership cadre meeting on April 3, with the Secretary of the Fujian Provincial Committee, Zhou Zuyi, in attendance. Miao Yanhong, a member of the Provincial Committee and the Minister of Organizational Department, announced that Lin Tao would be taking over as a member of the Fujian Provincial Committee and the Secretary of Xiamen Municipal Committee, while Cui Yonghui would no longer hold the position of Secretary of the Xiamen Municipal Committee.
The official announcement from Xinhua News Agency regarding Lin Tao’s appointment did not mention any specific wording regarding the former Secretary of the Xiamen Municipal Committee, Cui Yonghui, being dismissed or reassigned.
According to a report by Hong Kong media Ming Pao, this indicates that Cui Yonghui is still a member of the Fujian Provincial Committee and is rumored to possibly serve as the Minister of United Front Work Department in Fujian. Cui Yonghui, who parachuted into Xiamen in 2021 and was a candidate member of the 20th Central Committee, was once viewed as a rising political star but now appears to be sidelined.
Xiamen is one of the frontlines in dealing with Taiwan and one of the earliest economic special zones opened to the outside world. It is also one of the five “cities directly under the central government” in China, and was a place where CCP leader Xi Jinping once worked.
Over the past 20 years, Xiamen has become a “political high ground,” with several former Municipal Committee Secretaries attaining promotions.
After stepping down as the Secretary of Xiamen in 2009, He Lifeng went on to serve as the Deputy Secretary of the Tianjin Municipal Committee and the Secretary of the Beihai New Area Committee, and is currently the Vice Premier of the State Council;
Following his tenure as the Secretary of Xiamen, Yu Weiguo went on to serve as the Deputy Secretary of the Fujian Provincial Committee, later becoming the Governor and the Secretary of the Provincial Committee;
Wang Menghui, after stepping down as the Secretary of Xiamen, moved to Shenyang to serve as the Secretary of the Shenyang Municipal Committee, and has previously served as the Minister of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and the Secretary of the Hubei Provincial Committee;
After leaving his position as the Secretary of Xiamen, Pei Jinjia went to Beijing to serve as the Deputy Director of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, and is currently the Minister of Veterans Affairs;
After stepping down as the Secretary of Xiamen, Hu Changsheng became the Governor of Heilongjiang Province and is now the Secretary of the Gansu Provincial Committee;
Following his tenure as the Secretary of Xiamen, Zhao Long became the Governor of Fujian Province.
The report mentions that all six predecessors of Cui Yonghui held at least ministerial positions, but regardless of whether he concurrently serves as the Minister of the United Front Work Department of the Provincial Committee or in any other capacity, his power does not compare to that of the Secretary of the Xiamen Municipal Committee.
Cui Yonghui, born in November 1970 in Hubei, previously served as the Mayor of Jingzhou and was later promoted to Vice Governor in Fujian before parachuting into Xiamen in 2021 as a candidate member of the 20th Central Committee. Despite being seen as a political rising star, it appears that he is now sidelined.
According to a report by Xiamen Daily, on the day before the personnel change of the Xiamen Municipal Committee Secretary (April 2, 2026), Cui Yonghui visited the Xiang’an Campus of Xiamen University for investigation and presided over a symposium.
Lin Tao, a native of Jieyang, Guangdong, previously held various positions in the Guangdong Province Foreign Affairs Office, the Provincial Development and Reform Commission, Jieyang Municipal Government, Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office, and Shanwei City.
In 2019, Lin Tao was transferred to Heyuan, serving as the Mayor and Secretary of the Municipal Committee. In 2023, he was promoted to Vice Governor of Guangdong and a year later moved to Beijing to become the Deputy Secretary-General of the State Council, before his recent appointment.