Zhao Leji

Zhao Leji (born 8 March 1957) is a Chinese politician who is the current chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and the third-ranking member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), behind Xi Jinping, the CCP general secretary, and Li Qiang, the premier.

In his earlier political career, he served as the party secretary of Qinghai, the party secretary of Shaanxi, and the head of the Organization Department of the CCP. He entered the CCP Politburo in 2012 and was promoted to the Politburo Standing Committee five years later. Between 2017 and 2022, he was the secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, the party's top anti-corruption body.

Early life Zhao Leji was born in Xining, Qinghai province, on 8 March 1957. His parents were from Xi'an, Shaanxi province. The family moved to Qinghai as part of the aid programs in frontier regions under the leadership of Mao Zedong. In 1974, during the later years of the Cultural Revolution, Zhao worked at an agricultural commune in Guide County as a sent-down youth. After working there for about a year, Zhao returned to the city to become a communications assistant at the Commerce Department of the Qinghai provincial government.

Zhao's tenure in Qinghai was marked by rapid economic growth, during which the province's GDP tripled. It was said that Zhao took a relatively soft approach on ethnic minority issues and took on environmentally conscious investment projects. His achievements in Qinghai were lauded by the party's central leadership. As the head of the Organization Department, Zhao was a critical figure in executing CCP general secretary Xi Jinping's anti-corruption campaign. Zhao worked closely with Wang Qishan, the Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, the party's highest internal-control institution; in 2014, the People's Daily said that "whenever Qishan makes a move, Zhao Leji gets busy". During his tenure, Zhao also promoted poverty alleviation and strengthening Party control in trading estates, office buildings and internet companies.

Central Commission for Discipline Inspection

Zhao was chosen to be the 6th-ranking member of the Politburo Standing Committee, China's top decision-making body, at the 1st plenary session of the 19th Central Committee of the CCP on 25 October 2017. In the same session, he succeeded Wang Qishan to become the Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. On 11 November 2017, he wrote an article in the People's Daily, warning that "if our control of the party is not strong and party governance is not strict, then the party won’t be able to avoid being erased by history and the historic task the party carries will not be able to be fulfilled".

Zhao took a more low-profile approach as CCDI secretary compared to his predecessor Wang Qishan. According to The Wall Street Journal, Zhao was "taking a largely hands-off approach during his time in office and barely involved in making decisions on investigations". Officials that were investigated under Zhao include former justice minister Fu Zhenghua, as well as Xiao Yaqing, Sheng Guangzu, and Sun Lijun. In March 2018, Zhao told the Hong Kong and Macau delegates to the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference that high autonomy should not be used to erode central government control. At a conference in September 2021, Zhao announced a nationwide audit of major financial firms and regulators.

National People's Congress Standing Committee Following the first plenary session of the 20th CCP Central Committee, Zhao was reappointed to the Politburo Standing Committee, becoming its 3rd-ranked member, and was succeeded by Li Xi as the CCDI secretary. On 10 March 2023, he was appointed the chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, succeeding Li Zhanshu.

In May 2023, Zhao visited Senegal and Morocco. In March 2024, during a meeting of the NPC Standing Committee, Zhao Leji pledged to revise the National Defense Education Law with a focus on "modernizing China's system and capacity for national security". He also signaled changes in the Cybersecurity Law. The same month, he attended the Boao Forum for Asia, where he called on Asian countries to "jointly maintain security in Asia". He also called for implementing the Global Security Initiative. In April 2024, Zhao visited North Korea, making him the highest-level Chinese official to visit North Korea since CCP general secretary Xi Jinping visited North Korea in 2019. During the visit, Zhao met with his North Korean counterpart Choe Ryong-hae, the chairman of North Korea's legislative body, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. thumb Zhao on March 14, 2025. Previously on 11 March, he missed the closing meeting of the third session of the 14th National People's Congress due to a respiratory tract infection. Zhao missed the closing meeting of the third session of the 14th National People's Congress on 11 March 2025 due to a respiratory tract infection, which marked the first time in decades that the NPC closing meeting was not attended by all members of the Politburo Standing Committee. Vice Chairman Li Hongzhong was entrusted on Zhao's behalf to preside over the closing ceremony. He reappeared on 12 March while attending a meeting with state media employees to thank them for their coverage of the session. In November 2025, Zhao visited New Zealand, where he met with New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. He also visited Australia, where he met with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. In March 2026, he gave a speech at the Boao Forum for Asia, where he said "the people of Asia, having endured the scourge of war and chaos, deeply understand the value of peace and stability" and urged countries to "respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, adhere to non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries, [and] resolve conflicts and differences through peaceful means".