Xi Jinping: podcast appearances and interviews

Xi Jinping, born on 15 June 1953 in Beijing, is a Chinese politician who serves as the paramount leader of China. He has held the positions of general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and chairman of the Party Central Military Commission (CMC) since 2012, and has been the president of China and chairman of the State Central Military Commission since 2013. Xi is the elder son of Xi Zhongxun and Qi Xin and is regarded as a princeling. During the Cultural Revolution, he was sent to a rural village in Shaanxi where he lived in a yaodong, joined the CCP after several attempts, and served as the local party secretary. He studied chemical engineering at Tsinghua University as a worker-peasant-soldier student and subsequently rose through party ranks, serving as governor of Fujian and Zhejiang provinces. In 2007, he joined the Politburo Standing Committee and became the first-ranked member of the Secretariat, later serving as vice president and vice chairman of the CMC. His leadership has been characterized by an anti-corruption campaign, military restructuring, initiatives to combat poverty, and policies promoting state-owned enterprises and advanced manufacturing. His tenure has also been marked by increased state control over society, censorship, and human rights issues. Xi has adopted an assertive foreign policy, including actions in the South China Sea, relations with Taiwan, and initiatives such as the Belt and Road. His amendments to the constitution in 2018 removed presidential term limits, allowing him to serve beyond two terms.