Wei Tao
One of the higher-ranking ethnic minority politicians in China, and one of only two officials from the Zhuang minority named as an alternate member of the Central Committee. His province (Guangxi) is strategically important as China’s gateway to Southeast Asia.
Chairman of the Guangxi Autonomous Region People’s Government (2025 - Present); Party Secretary of Taiyuan, Shanxi (2021 - 2025); Vice Governor of Shanxi Province (2021); Party Secretary of Guangxi Beibu International Port Group (2020 - 2021); Deputy Party Secretary and Mayor of Yulin, Guangxi (2017 - 2020); Vice Chairman and General Manager, Guangxi Beibu Gulf International Port Company (2016 - 2017)
Titles Held
Born in 1970 in Guangxi. Earned his bachelor's degree in Ferrous Metallurgy from Chongqing University and an MBA from the Huazhong University of Science and Technology. For most of his early career he worked as an engineer in ironmaking and steelmaking in Guangxi. In 2016, he transferred into the port industry, where he helmed the largest international port in Guangxi and the main port connecting Southeast Asia to China. He served for three years as the Secretary of Yulin, a city in Guangxi, before returning to the head the Guangxi port. In 2021, he was transferred to Shanxi province, which is known for its coal industry, to serve in the provincial government. He also headed the provincial capital of Taiyuan. Finally, in 2025, he returned to Guangxi where he is now the Deputy Secretary. It is probable he will remain for a few years as the province is now entering a critical stage as China seeks to significantly deepen its cooperation with Southeast Asia.
Biography
No ethnic minority or a former leader of Guangxi has served in the PSC, which makes it hard to difficult to find a suitable comparison. The closest comparison would be Ulanhu, who was an ethnic Mongol and was formerly the Secretary of Inner Mongolia and Vice President of China.