Chen Yixin

Chen Yixin
Chen Yixin
陈一新
	Chen in 2021
6th Minister of State Security
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; 30 October 2022
Premier	Li Keqiang; Li Qiang
Preceded by	Chen Wenqing
Secretary-General of Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission
	In office; March 2018 – March 2023
Secretary	Guo Shengkun; Chen Wenqing
Preceded by	Wang Yongqing
Succeeded by	Yin Bai [zh]
Personal details
Born	1 September 1959 (age 65); Taishun County, Zhejiang, China
Political party	Chinese Communist Party
Education	Lishui Teacher's College; Zhejiang Provincial Party School

Chen Yixin (Chinese: 陈一新; born 1 September 1959) is a Chinese politician who is the current Minister of State Security.

Born in Taishun County, Zhejiang, Chen gained political prominence working in his home province. In 2015, he was appointed as the deputy director of the Office of the Central Leading Group for Comprehensively Deepening Reforms, working there until 2016. In 2017, he became the Communist Party Secretary of Wuhan, working in that capacity until 2018, when he was appointed as the Secretary-General of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission. He was appointed as the Minister of State Security in 2022.

Early life and education

Chen was born in Taishun County, Zhejiang. He graduated with a degree in physics from Lishui Teacher's College (now Lishui University), where he served as a leader in the school's Communist Youth League.^[1]

Political career

He has served as deputy Secretary-General of Zhejiang Party Committee. In 2012 he became party secretary of Jinhua. On 3 January 2013, he became Communist Party Secretary of Wenzhou, a post which he served until 1 December 2015.^[1] Between December 2014 and December 2015, Chen was also a member of the Zhejiang Communist Party Standing Committee.

Chen later became the deputy director of the Office of the Central Leading Group for Comprehensively Deepening Reforms in 2015 until 2016.^[2] On 26 June 2017, Chen was appointed as the Communist Party Secretary of Wuhan, a position he held until 20 March 2018, as well as deputy party secretary of Hubei.^[3]

Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission

In March 2018, Chen Yixin succeeded Wang Yongqing as the Secretary-General of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission (CPLAC).^[4]^[5]

In February 2020, Chen was announced to be the deputy head of the central government's directing group on Hubei, leading efforts related to the COVID-19 pandemic in the province,^[6] assisting Vice Premier Sun Chunlan.^[7]

On 8 July 2020, Chen announced a two-year campaign to purge "corrupt elements" in the justice system and remove "two-faced officials", who only pay lip service to CCP orders and rules. Calling it a "a self-initiated revolution by the security system", he compared the campaign to Mao Zedong's Yan'an Rectification Movement.^[7] The campaign was announced to initially start with a three-month pilot scheme in five cities and four counties in Heilongjiang, Jiangsu, Shaanxi, Sichuan and Henan, and go nationwide in 2021, lasting until the first quarter of 2022.^[8]

Minister of State Security

On 30 October 2022, Chen was officially appointed by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress as the minister of state security, succeeding Chen Wenqing.^[9] He was succeeded by Yin Bai as the Secretary-General of the CPLAC in March 2023.

Under Chen's tenure, the long-secretive Ministry of State Security (MSS) opened a WeChat account in July 2023. In the first anniversary of the account, Chen called the social media work of the MSS as being a "project of paramount importance", and said that officials must be "good at transforming the mysterious, miraculous and divine nature of national-security work into strengths in communication, penetration and influence".^[10]

References

^ ^a ^b "温州市委书记陈一新任浙江省委常委(图/简历)" [Chen Yixin, secretary of the Wenzhou Municipal Party Committee, was appointed as a member of the Standing Committee of the Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee (picture/resume)]. IFeng. December 28, 2014.
^ "浙江省委常委、温州书记调任中央深改办" [Member of Standing Committee of Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of Wenzhou transferred to the Central Deep Reform Office]. Ifeng. Retrieved 2015-12-01.
^ "中央改革办专职副主任陈一新任湖北省委副书记、武汉市委书记" [Chen Yixin, deputy director of Central Reform Office, appointed deputy secretary of Hubei Provincial Party Committee and secretary of Wuhan Municipal Party Committee]. The Paper. Retrieved 2017-01-03.
^ "陈一新调任中央政法委委员、秘书长：武汉是我心中最深的烙印" [Chen Yixin transferred to Central Political and Legal Committee and Secretary-General: Wuhan is the deepest imprint in my heart]. The Paper. 2018-03-24. Retrieved 2018-03-24.
^ "Xi Jinping calls in Chen Yixin to tackle corruption... and potential opposition". Intelligence Online. 2022-11-18. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
^ "Coronavirus: China sends new officials to take charge of Hubei outbreak". Straits Times. 2020-02-08. Retrieved 2020-02-11.
^ ^a ^b Zheng, William (17 July 2020). "Chinese official leading security purge 'may be on fast track to promotion', analysts say". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
^ Zheng, William (10 July 2020). "China's top law enforcement body unveils campaign to purge 'corrupt elements'". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
^ Lau, Jack (30 October 2022). "China names Chen Yixin as new state security minister in latest leadership shake-up". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
^ Wong, Chun Han (9 November 2024). "A Xi Enforcer Is Revving Up China's Spy Machine—and Alarming the West". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 9 November 2024.

Government offices
Preceded by Chen Wenqing	Minister of State Security 30 October 2022 – present	Succeeded by Incumbent
Preceded by Ruan Chengfa	Communist Party Secretary of Wuhan 26 June 2017 – 20 March 2018	Succeeded by Ma Guoqiang
Preceded by Chen Derong	Communist Party Secretary of Wenzhou 3 January 2013 – 1 December 2015	Succeeded by Xu Liyi

[ifeng-1] "温州市委书记陈一新任浙江省委常委(图/简历)" [Chen Yixin, secretary of the Wenzhou Municipal Party Committee, was appointed as a member of the Standing Committee of the Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee (picture/resume)]. IFeng. December 28, 2014.

[2] "浙江省委常委、温州书记调任中央深改办" [Member of Standing Committee of Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of Wenzhou transferred to the Central Deep Reform Office]. Ifeng. Retrieved 2015-12-01.

[3] "中央改革办专职副主任陈一新任湖北省委副书记、武汉市委书记" [Chen Yixin, deputy director of Central Reform Office, appointed deputy secretary of Hubei Provincial Party Committee and secretary of Wuhan Municipal Party Committee]. The Paper. Retrieved 2017-01-03.

[4] "陈一新调任中央政法委委员、秘书长：武汉是我心中最深的烙印" [Chen Yixin transferred to Central Political and Legal Committee and Secretary-General: Wuhan is the deepest imprint in my heart]. The Paper. 2018-03-24. Retrieved 2018-03-24.

[5] "Xi Jinping calls in Chen Yixin to tackle corruption... and potential opposition". Intelligence Online. 2022-11-18. Retrieved 2022-11-30.

[6] "Coronavirus: China sends new officials to take charge of Hubei outbreak". Straits Times. 2020-02-08. Retrieved 2020-02-11.

[:0-7] Zheng, William (17 July 2020). "Chinese official leading security purge 'may be on fast track to promotion', analysts say". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 17 December 2023.

[8] Zheng, William (10 July 2020). "China's top law enforcement body unveils campaign to purge 'corrupt elements'". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 17 December 2023.

[9] Lau, Jack (30 October 2022). "China names Chen Yixin as new state security minister in latest leadership shake-up". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 17 December 2023.

[10] Wong, Chun Han (9 November 2024). "A Xi Enforcer Is Revving Up China's Spy Machine—and Alarming the West". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 9 November 2024.

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