Jin Lei
Another “dark horse” and economist from Henan who was recently promoted to be the Party Secretary of Shenzhen (the third-largest city by GDP in China) in March 2026. Very likely to be named as an alternate member to the Central Committee in 2027 due to his promotion.
Party Secretary of Shenzhen (2026 - Present); Member of the Standing Committee and Secretary of the Political and Legal Committee of the CCP Sichuan Provincial Committee (2022 - 2026); Secretary of Deyang City, Sichuan (2019 - 2022); Deputy Secretary and Mayor of Anyang, Henan (2018 - 2019); Deputy Secretary of the Zhengzhou City Party Committee, Henan (2016 - 2018)
Titles Held
Born in 1970 in Henan. Graduated from the Department of Political Science in Wuhan University and earned a Master’s in Economics from Xiamen University. Worked for many years in the Finance and Economics Department of Henan Province until he was promoted to Deputy Director of the Department. By 2009, he was elevated to the Party Committee of the Henan provincial government and Deputy Director of the General Affairs Bureau. Entered local politics by taking on the role as Standing Committee Member of the Zhoukou City government in Henan. In 2016, he was trasnferred to Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan, where he joined the city government as Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee. In 2018 he was transferred again to lead Anyang City, Henan. In 2019 he left Henan for the first time professionally to become Secretary of Deyang City in Sichuan. Three years later, he was elevated to the Standing Committee of the Sichuan Provincial Committee. Finally, in 2026, he was transferred once more to Shenzhen, where he now leads China’s most important city for its technological and manufacturing transformation.
Biography
Similar to Meng Fanli, who was once Party Secretary of Shenzhen before becoming Governor of Guangdong after being replaced by Jin Lei. Wang Weizhong, another former Secretary of Shenzhen, is now Party Secretary of Inner Mongolia after serving as Governor of Guangdong. His finance and economics background could also make him comparable to Li Keqiang and Liu He.