China’s United Front Work Department Vice Minister and National Ethnic Affairs Commission Director Pan Yue has recently been transferred to a new position within the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. He was heavily promoted by the Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping and was considered one of Xi’s “brush holders,” as he himself is a member of the “second generation red.” However, in recent years, the second generation red has been gradually exiting the internal power struggles of the Chinese Communist Party.
On August 26th, according to an announcement from the Standing Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, Pan Yue has been appointed as a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and Vice Chairman of the Committee of Cultural, Historical, and Learning Affairs.
Public records show that Pan Yue, born in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province in April 1960, is now 65 years old, reaching the retirement age for top-level officials of the Chinese Communist Party.
Pan Yue started his career path early, becoming one of the youngest deputy ministerial-level officials in China when he was appointed as the Deputy Director of the State Administration of Technical Supervision at the age of 38 in 1998. He later held positions in various environmental protection agencies before rising to become a full ministerial-level official in 2016. Pan Yue’s career experienced a significant boost under Xi Jinping’s leadership, culminating in his recent appointment to the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.
Some Hong Kong media outlets have referred to Pan Yue as a theorist within the Chinese Communist Party. After the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, Pan Yue, at the age of 31, served as the Deputy Chief Editor of the “China Youth Daily” and later supported Xi Jinping’s “Nanping Experience” when Xi held the position of Governor of Fujian Province. Following his time at the State Administration of Environmental Protection, Pan Yue experienced a period of sidelining before being promoted to the central leadership under Xi Jinping.
During his tenure as the head of the National Ethnic Affairs Commission, Pan Yue promoted the concept of a “national community” and oversaw the development and publication of related educational materials.
Pan Yue comes from a family background deeply rooted in the Chinese Communist Party elite; his father, Pan Tian, was a former Deputy Chief of Staff and Chief Engineer of the Railway Corps of the Chinese Communist Party, while his mother, Zhou Lan, was a military doctor. Pan Yue was previously married to Liu Chaoying, the daughter of former member of the Political Bureau of the Chinese Communist Party and Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, General Liu Huaqing, before their divorce.
The second generation red, which once held numerous pivotal positions in the Chinese Communist Party, is now gradually exiting the political stage through various means.
Notable figures such as Deng Xiaoping’s son Deng Pufang stepped down from his position as Honorary Chairman of the China Disabled Persons’ Federation in September 2023. Liu Yuan, the son of Liu Shaoqi, was removed from the military by Xi Jinping in 2017. Mao Zedong’s grandson, Mao Xinyu, and Li Peng’s daughter, Li Xiaolin, have both faded from public view since 2018.
Li Peng’s son, Li Xiaopeng, relinquished his position as the Secretary of the Party Group of the Ministry of Transportation in 2024 and was appointed as the Vice Chairman of the Economic Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, fully retreating to the sidelines.
Wang Qishan, the former Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and a member of the Politburo Standing Committee, is related by marriage to the elder statesman Yao Yilin. Wang Qishan retired from his position as the Vice President of China in March 2023.
Retired Chinese General Liu Yazhou, a member of the second generation red and son-in-law of the former Chinese President Li Xiannian, was reportedly arrested in December 2021 for opposing Xi Jinping and was sentenced to life imprisonment in early 2024.
Former Chinese Minister of National Defense, Liang Guanglie, who belongs to the second generation red, was removed from office in August 2023 and stripped of his party and military ranks in June 2024.
Wang Chunning, the Commander of the People’s Armed Police, who is also a member of the second generation red, has been “missing” since the end of last year, with reports suggesting he is under investigation.
Currently, there are few members of the second generation red remaining at the top levels of the Chinese Communist Party, including 75-year-old Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia and Liu Haixing, Executive Vice Director of the State Council’s National Security Commission. Zhang Youxia, who was once considered one of Xi Jinping’s ‘iron pillars’, has reportedly seen his relationship with Xi shifting in recent years.