Why the new party academy role held by Xi Jinping’s chief of staff is important in China

China’s president describes party schools as crucial for helping uphold ideological direction in the face of ‘hostile forces’3-MIN READ3-MIN0ListenPublished: 9:00am, 10 Jun 2026Last week, Chinese President Xi Jinping’s chief of staff Cai Qi, the fifth most senior official in the ruling Communist Party, was chosen to lead the Central Party School, Beijing’s leading academy for cadres.The Central Party School is not just any training site for Chinese officials, but part of a nationwide system that Xi considers key to the ideological purity of the party and important for the expertise needed by senior officials across the country.China’s technological self-reliance, Trump’s visit and the priority for this year’s ‘two sessions’Who were previous heads?In the past 30 years, the director of the institute has been reserved for either the party’s top leader-in-waiting, to familiarise them with ideology work, or a chief ideologue in the party’s leadership. Both Xi and his predecessor, Hu Jintao, served as head of the Central Party School while heir apparent in the party.