| New Zhijiang Army | |
| Native Name: | 之江新军 |
| Leader1 Title: | Leader |
| Leader1 Name: | Xi Jinping |
| Headquarters: | Beijing and Hangzhou |
| Ideology: | Socialism with Chinese characteristics |
| Country: | China |
The New Zhijiang Army, also known as the Xi Jinping faction,[1] is a term used by observers to represent political figures in the Chinese Communist Party who are closely related to CCP general secretary Xi Jinping, most prominently those who held important provincial and local posts during Xi Jinping's term as Communist Party Secretary of Zhejiang province. The "new army" refers to people who were closely associated with Xi and identify with his political views, and who have since then taken on prominent political posts at the provincial level or in central party and state organs.
The term was first widely used by Ma Haoliang (Chinese: 马浩亮), editor at Hong Kong-based newspaper Ta Kung Pao in an article entitled the New Zhijiang Army of Chinese Politics. The term Zhijiang refers to the Qiantang River, which runs through the province, but is often used as a poetic reference for the greater Zhejiang region. The term was initially used as title to Xi Jinping's book Zhijiang Xinyu (Chinese: 之江新语), a book compiling the political philosophies of Xi Jinping during his five-year term as party chief of Zhejiang, published in 2007.[2]
The people close to Xi Jinping have also been referred to as "Xi Clan" .[3]
| Name | Born | Office held in Zhejiang during Xi's term | Office held at present |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cai Qi 蔡奇 | December 1955 | First-ranked Secretary of the CCP Secretariat | |
| Huang Kunming 黄坤明 | November 1956 | Mayor of Huzhou Party Secretary of Jiaxing | Party Secretary of Guangdong province |
| Chen Derong 陈德荣 | March 1961 | Mayor of Jiaxing | Chief executive of China Baowu Steel Group |
| Bayanqolu 巴音朝鲁 | October 1955 | Party Secretary of Ningbo | |
| Lou Yangsheng 楼阳生 | October 1959 | Party Secretary of Lishui | Party Secretary of Henan province |
| Xia Baolong 夏宝龙 | December 1952 | Deputy Party Secretary of Zhejiang | Vice Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference |
| Li Qiang 李强 | July 1959 | Secretary-General of Zhejiang Party Committee | Premier of the People's Republic of China |
| Chen Min'er 陈敏尔 | September 1960 | Head of Zhejiang provincial party Propaganda Department | |
| Ying Yong 应勇 | November 1957 | Director of Supervision Department, Zhejiang President of Zhejiang High Court Deputy Secretary of Zhejiang Discipline Inspection Commission | Deputy Prosecutor-General of the Supreme People's Procuratorate |
| Zhong Shaojun 钟绍军 | 1968 | Deputy Head of the Organization Department of Zhejiang Party Committee | Lieutenant general of the People's Liberation Army Director of the General Office of the Central Military Commission |
| Li Xi 李希 | 1956 | Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection | |
| Chen Xi 陈希 | September 1953 | President of the Central Party School | |
| He Lifeng 何立峰 | February 1955 | Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China | |
| Shu Guozeng 舒国增 | 1956 | ||
Other politicians have been named by Chinese-language media as associates of Xi Jinping. They have known or worked under him as a result of their regional tenures in Shaanxi province (Xi's "home province"), the southeast (Zhejiang and Fujian provinces), or through Tsinghua University, where Xi spent time in his youth. Those named include Wang Qishan, Li Zhanshu, Liu He, Chen Xi, He Yiting, Wang Xiaohong, Li Shulei, and Huang Xingguo (since disgraced). In the military, Liu Yuan, Zhang Youxia, and Liu Yazhou have been named as some of Xi's top associates.[4]