Xi Jinping

Xi Jinping is a Chinese politician. In 2012, he began serving as general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and chairman of the Central Military Commission. He later became president of the People's Republic of China in 2013.

Xi Jinping, also known as Xi, was born in 1953 in Beijing, China. He is the son of Xi Zhongxun and Qi Xin. Xi had a privileged upbringing due to his father's position as vice chairman for Mao Zedong.

At age fifteen, he moved to the countryside and worked for seven years. It was during the Cultural Revolution led by Mao, and Xi was working in a forced labor camp. When he was twenty-two, Xi returned to Beijing to attend Tsinghua University and study chemical engineering. He joined the Communist Party of China (also known as the CCP or CPC) in 1974 and graduated in 1979.

Upon graduating from college, Xi began his career in politics by serving as secretary of the minister of defense. He held different positions in the CPC, and in 1999, he became the governor of Fujian province. Xi later became the governor of other provinces, including Zhejiang in 2002.

In 2007, Xi was appointed a position in the Politburo Standing Committee, which is the highest decision-making governing body of the CPC. He was elected as vice president of the National People's Congress in 2008. Four years later, in 2012, Xi was announced as general secretary of the Communist Party and chairman of the Central Military Commission.

In 2013, Xi became the president of the People's Republic of China. The position is generally held for two terms, but in 2018, the CPC made a decision to allow Xi to remain in power indefinitely. In March 2023, Xi started his third term as president and became the longest-serving head of state for the CPC since its founding in 1949.

The decisions that Xi has made while holding positions of power have been questioned by critics. For example, in the Xinjiang province, Muslim Uyghurs have been detained in camps and the freedom to protest has been restricted in Hong Kong under Xi's rule. Furthermore, Xi has been adamant about controlling Taiwan, which is a self-ruled country and is considered to be an independent country by many.