Xu Lin (born 1963)


Xu Lin is a Chinese politician, who serving as the director of the State Council Information Office since August 2018. He served as the main official in charge of internet policy, the head of the Cyberspace Administration of China, from June 2016 to July 2018. Xu was previously the head of the Shanghai propaganda department and later Communist Party Committee Secretary of Pudong.

Biography

Xu Lin was born in Shanghai in June 1963. He was graduated from Shanghai Normal University and joined the Communist Party of China in September 1982. Xu was the teacher of Zhoupu High School, and the CPC standing committee member and acting deputy county chief in Nanhui County at the age of 29. Later, he became the CPC deputy secretary of Jiading District. In 1995, he became deputy secretary of Shigatse Prefecture in Tibet.
Xu returned to Shanghai in 1997, and served as the general manager of Nong Gong Shang Group. Later, he served as Party branch chief and CEO. In 2003, Xu was appointed as director of Civil Affairs Bureau of Shanghai and director of Agriculture Committee of Shanghai in 2007. In 2008, Xu became the Party Committee Secretary of Pudong. He served as the head of the Shanghai CPC's propaganda department in 2013.
In 2015, Xu served as the deputy head of the General Office of the Central Leading Group for Internet Security and Informatization, and promoted to the head on June 29, 2016. Xu is regarded as a political ally of Xi Jinping, the current party General Secretary and paramount leader, and dubbed a “political star” by the 21st Century Business Herald.
In 2018, Xu was appointed as the director of the State Council Information Office. Xu is a member of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.