HK Media: Politburo Discussed Personnel in May Meeting, Kept Secret

(Central News Agency, Hong Kong, 8th) According to a report by Hong Kong's Ming Pao, the Chinese Communist Party Politburo likely held a meeting on May 29, but it was not publicly disclosed afterward because the meeting discussed high-level personnel changes.

Ming Pao stated that the Politburo is the CCP's highest decision-making body. By convention, it holds a meeting once a month, usually at the end of the month, to study and deploy major issues. In the first four months of this year, the Politburo held meetings at the end of each month.

However, throughout May, Beijing authorities did not announce the convening of a Politburo meeting.

The article pointed out that on the afternoon of May 29, the CCP Central Organization Department announced two central decisions: Ding Xiangqun (female), former chairman of People's Insurance Company of China, was appointed Party Secretary of the National Financial Regulatory Administration, replacing Li Yunze, who was demoted in April for disciplinary violations; and Zhang Yuzhuo, Director of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, was appointed Party Secretary of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, relieving Li Xiaohong of his duties as Party Secretary of the academy.

Furthermore, on May 30, Minister of Natural Resources Guan Zhiou was transferred to Hubei Province to serve as Provincial Party Secretary, replacing Wang Zhonglin, becoming the youngest provincial party secretary.

Based on this, the article estimates that the Politburo held a meeting on May 29. It was kept secret because the meeting focused solely on high-level personnel. It could also have been a meeting of the 7-member Politburo Standing Committee, which approved the high-level personnel adjustments. Meetings of the Politburo Standing Committee are generally not made public.

The article also noted that on the 5th of this month, the Central Party School held a graduation ceremony for the second batch of classes in the spring semester of 2026. Footage from CCTV News showed that the principal awarding diplomas was not Chen Xi, but Cai Qi, a member of the Politburo Standing Committee and the newly appointed principal of the Central Party School.

Cai Qi's concurrent role as principal of the Central Party School is also estimated to have been decided at the meeting on May 29. (Editor: Lyu Jiarong)