The agency was established by Xi Jinping in 2014, two years after he became leader of the Communist Party, to consolidate the party’s direct control over the internet. It was formerly the Central Cybersecurity and Informatization Leading Group and expanded into a committee in 2018.
Tsai’s appointment has not yet been announced, but he will take over as head of the commission sometime in the first half of 2023, according to a source in Beijing.
The party does not typically announce such appointments. They are usually disclosed in an official statement released after the meeting, which contains the roles and titles of key members.
The Network Committee and the newly established Science and Technology Committee are the only exceptions where the CCP has not done so.
This is the first time since Xi Jinping became party general secretary in 2012 that he has handed over his duties to another official – the Chinese leader has held dozens of similar positions.
However, there are no changes in the chain of command, with Tsai reporting to Xi and continuing to brief him on committee decisions.
Tsai herself stressed the importance of Xi Jinping’s guidance on cybersecurity and read out the president’s instructions at a meeting to discuss the topic in July, Xinhua reported.
The state news agency said members of the Cyberspace Administration of China attended the meeting, with Tsai being the highest-ranking official present, but did not mention any leadership changes.
Tsai already has more power than previous presidential chiefs of staff. He is the fifth-ranking official on the seven-member Politburo Standing Committee, China’s center of power, and the first person since Mao Zedong’s time to hold both positions.
He is also the highest-ranking member of the party’s secretariat, which means he has influence over matters such as ideology and personnel — although Xi Jinping has the final say.
Deng Yuwen, former deputy editor-in-chief of Study Times, the official newspaper of the Central Party School, said the move showed that Xi Jinping was continuing to delegate power to his most trusted aides and seeking to form a new power structure.
Since the beginning of Xi Jinping’s third term as party leader, he has delegated more responsibilities and had senior officials attend meetings in his stead.
A political scientist at Tsinghua University said Tsai’s new position in charge of cyber affairs showed he had Xi’s “firm trust”.
The researcher said this is because the president views areas such as cybersecurity, online propaganda and the digital economy as “vital” to the party. The researcher declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue.
A second Beijing source said Tsai was a “natural choice” for the job because it overlapped with his propaganda work.
“Much of the Cyberspace Administration of China’s work involves disseminating party messages on China’s internet platforms,” the source said. “So there’s a good synergy between advocacy and cyber matters.”
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How China censors the internet
How China censors the internet
Cai was a prolific social media user while holding various official positions in Zhejiang Province in the 2000s. He has 10 million followers on Weibo and uses the platform to interact with the public and advocate for “open and transparent” government.
He first met Xi Jinping in the 1980s, and Xi Jinping had lived in Fujian Province for nearly two decades. In the 2000s, when Xi Jinping was promoted to leadership positions, Cai once again served Xi Jinping in Zhejiang.
Tsai moved to Beijing in 2014, when he was appointed executive deputy director of the newly created National Security Council, two years after Xi Jinping became party leader. In 2017, Cai was appointed secretary of the Beijing Municipal Party Committee and member of the Political Bureau.