Cai Qi
Cai Qi is a Chinese politician, who is the current first-ranked member of the Secretariat of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), fifth-ranking member of the CCP's Politburo Standing Committee and the director of the CCP General Office, making him the de facto chief of staff to CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping.
Standing...
Stories...
Aug 4, 2026
Center
Cai Qi, described as Xi Jinping's chief of staff, appeared at Beidaihe as Beijing opened the summer retreat season for its political elite.
Pragmatists treat Beidaihe as the venue where policy consensus and personnel decisions are shaped, so Cai's prominence is a signal about who controls the party agenda.
Jul 30, 2026
Far Right
Propaganda chief Cai Qi oversees the censorship of online discussions about disaster accountability (articles 2,4).
Pro-reform activists denounce him for enforcing the blackout on critical reflections about the Zhengzhou floods and the Guangxi dam breach.
Jul 12, 2026
Far Right
As CCP propaganda chief, Cai Qi oversees the censorship apparatus highlighted by leaked LeTV directives.
Cai Qi is a target of pro-reform anger for enforcing the 'struggle' narrative and expanding online surveillance.
Jun 5, 2026
Center
Xi Jinping's fifth-ranked Politburo Standing Committee member and described 'chief of staff' has been appointed to lead the Central Party School, the CCP's top cadre training institution.
Pragmatists read Cai's elevation as Xi consolidating ideological control over the next generation of party officials, tightening the pipeline between the Zhongnanhai inner circle and provincial leadership.