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Jun Mai

The Group of 20 summit gives Beijing the opportunity to press its claim to have a greater international say. As such, the officials in the presidential entourage play a major role, giving a glimpse of some of the power players in Chinese politics. Among the big names are:

Wang Yi
Foreign minister
Wang is China’s ­second highest-ranked diplomat and oversees the foreign ministry. He has been China’s ­ambassador to Japan and director of the State Council’s ­Taiwan Affairs Office. He has repeatedly raised eyebrows over the past year, ­including for his withering ­response to a ­Canadian ­journalist who raised a question over ­human rights in China.
Rise of China's new Foreign Minister Wang Yi

Wang Huning
Director, Central ­Policy Research ­Office
As head of the ­Communist Party’s top research office, Wang’s role is a ­combination of ­national policy ­adviser and chief speech writer. He is seen during almost all key domestic and ­international trips made by President Xi Jinping. He has gained respect among the upper echelon for his ­academic depth, political neutrality and caution.

Xu Shaoshi
Director, National ­Development and ­Reform Commission
Xu is the country’s top economic ­planner and oversees the NDRC, which is sometimes called “the small State Council”. Despite more than three ­decades of market reform, the NDRC retains sweeping power to regulate all major industries and approve projects with billion-yuan budgets, from ­airports to railways and car plants.
Xu Shaoshi is director of National Development and Reform Commission

Liu He
Director, General Office of Central Leading Group on Economic and Financial Affairs
Liu is Xi’s top aide on economic and ­financial affairs, and oversees the ­influential leading group’s operations. He is widely believed to be the mysterious “authoritative ­person” People’s Daily quoted in May in a report casting doubt on policies pursued by the State Council under ­Premier Li Keqiang.
Guessing game: who is mystery ‘authoritative figure’ claiming major shift in China’s economic policy?

Wang Yang
Vice-premier
Wang is one of the State Council’s three vice-premiers, with responsibility for business and ­commerce, tourism and agriculture. Wang also plays a key role in Sino-US ­relations, keeping in contact with US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew to keep both ­countries ­informed on ­economic and policy issues, though Wang is thought to now share this role with Liu He.
The man who pushed for a global yuan - China's central bank governor Zhou Xiaochuan

Zhou Xiaochuan
Governor, People’s Bank of China
Zhou is responsible for making and ­applying monetary policy for the world’s second-largest ­economy. Zhou is believed to have been at the centre of almost every change China has made to its financial system, from reshaping state banking to setting up the bond market to smooth the way for the yuan’s global push.
China’s central bank chief says his job is too difficult for many people to understand

Lou Jiwei
Finance minister
Lou, China’s finance minister since 2013, is known for his reformist outlook and preference for a market-oriented economy. He oversaw a multibillion-dollar sovereign wealth fund China Investment Corp for six years before heading the ministry. Lou was appointed chairman of board of governors of the China-led Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank.
Ex-wealth fund guru Lou Jiwei to be finance minister

Gao Hucheng
Commerce minister
Gao has experience in both the government and business sectors, including serving as a deputy general manager at China Resources Enterprise in the 1990s. The fluent French speaker, an experienced trade negotiator, was removed intact despite reports about his son’s controversial employment at JP Morgan.

Yang Jiechi
State councillor
An experienced diplomat, Yang has quietly risen to the top position to oversee the country’s international policies. Yang, who outranks Foreign Minister Wang Yi, has often played an important role as China sought to ease tensions amid international disputes.
 
Follow us on Twitter for the latest updates on the G20 summit in Hangzhou as it happens:

 

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The presidential entourage at big international events gives a glimpse of the power players in Chinese politics

U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew (L) and Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang arrive at the Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED) at the Sate Department in Washington June 23, 2015. More than 400 Chinese officials are in Washington for annual talks under the wide-ranging Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED) framework, which will involve eight U.S. cabinet secretaries. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas

***NOT FOR ADVERTISING USE*** Lou Jiwei, China's Finance Minister, talks to the media at a press conference during the the 8th China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED) and the 7th China-US High-level Consultation on People-to-People and Cultural Exchanges(CPE), at the Diaoyutai State Guest House in Beijing on Jun 06, 2016. 06JUN16 Photo by Simon Song

China's Commerce Minister Gao Hucheng speaks during a news conference as a part of the National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing March 7, 2014. China is fully confident of achieving its target of 7.5 percent growth in total trade this year, Gao said on Friday, citing an improving global economic environment and strong fundamentals in emerging markets. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon (CHINA - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS)

Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, right, meets with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Wednesday June 1, 2016. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 23: U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Jacob Lew (L) listens as Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi (R) speaks during a panel discussion on energy and environment cooperation during the Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED) June 23, 2015 at the State Department in Washington, DC. Officials from both countries participated in the seventh annual U.S. Ð China Strategic and Economic Dialogue to discuss bilateral issues. Alex Wong/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==

The men behind China's President Xi Jinping. Photo: SCMP Pictures

G20 ‘staircase snub’ for Obama was United States’ decision, reveals Chinese official

US President Barack Obama disembarks from the Air Force One at Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport in eastern Zhejiang province on Saturday. Photo: Reuters

German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrives at Hangzhou Xiaoshan international airport before the G20 Summit in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China, September 4, 2016. REUTERS/Chance Chan

Security personnel inspects aircraft stairs before the arrival of U.S. President Barack Obama (not pictured) at Hangzhou Xiaoshan international airport before the G20 Summit in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China September 3, 2016. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj

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The presidential entourage at big international events gives a glimpse of the power players in Chinese politics


The G20 presidential entourage gives outsiders a glimpse of some of the key players in Chinese politics. Those joining Xi Jinping this year include senior diplomats, a suite of top economists, a banker, and the head of the ­Communist Party’s top research office.
