A slew of cadres in their early 50s clinched significant administrative positions with full ministerial rank this year, as China’s ruling Communist Party moves younger faces into mid-tier leadership positions.
The latest to be promoted was Liu Jie, 54, who was made acting governor of Zhejiang in eastern China on December 18. Zhejiang is well-known as a power base of President Xi Jinping, who governed the province in the early 2000s.
Liu’s appointment makes him China’s youngest provincial governor. He is also the third “post-70s” cadre – a term used to describe officials born between 1970 and 1979 – to achieve full ministerial rank.
After graduating from University of Science and Technology Beijing with a degree in metallurgy, Liu started his career in 1992 as a technician with Xiangtan Iron and Steel Group in central Hunan province.
He spent nearly 15 years with the state-owned firm, rising to general manager before being appointed director of the Hunan Department of Commerce in 2008.
After a decade-long rotation to Jiangxi province in the southeast and Guizhou in the southwest, Liu’s career took a decisive leap in 2021 when he was picked to replace a scandal-hit party boss in Zhejiang.