The identity of the hitherto unknown officer handling the security of Chinese President Xi Jinping has come to light for the first time. In the guest list for the White House state banquet, Zhou Hongshu was described as the head of China’s Central Guard Bureau, a highly secretive unit that manages the security of top leaders. Beijing has never previously disclosed its role.
Along with Zhou, discussions have also started regarding the security chiefs of US President Donald Trump and Russian President Putin. Let us tell you about these three.
According to CNN, Zhou has been seen with Xi several times over the past few years, but only China-watching experts considered him in the post. This time his name appeared on the official list, expert Deng Yuwen says Xi may have deliberately wanted to bring him into the public eye.
Zhou was also present during the meeting between Xi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on the 12th of this month.
Who is Zhou Hongshu?
According to SCMP, he was born in 1971, was the commander of an artillery regiment and deputy chief of staff of the ground forces of the Northern Theater Command. Around 2021, he took command of the Central Guard Bureau and was elected as a delegate to the Party’s 20th National Congress in 2022.
According to the report, he is a Major General of the PLA and also the Deputy Director of the General Office of the Party. The bureau operates under the General Office of the Communist Party and has direct control over Central Guard Unit 61889 of the PLA. The unit was formed in the 1950s and traces its roots back to the Mao era civil war.
Who is Dmitry Kochnev, Putin’s security chief?
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s security is in the hands of the Federal Protective Service (FSO), whose director, Army General Dmitry Kochnev, has been in office since May 26, 2016. He was born in 1964 in Moscow and in 2021 he got the rank of Army General. In 2015-16, he was also the Chief of Security Services.
The FSO is said to have about 50,000 uniformed personnel and a few thousand plainclothes personnel. Kochnev replaces Yevgeny Murov, who held the position from 2000 to 2016. An EU intelligence agency recently said that Putin met with Kochenev and changed the rules of the FSO, so that the list of people with increased security could be expanded.
Sean Curran, Trump’s security chief
From time to time there is a debate about the bodyguards of the American President. The Taiyan Secret Service personnel guarding them are considered very sharp and alert. Currently, Sean Curran is the 28th Director of the American Secret Service. He assumed office on 22 January 2025. He was the head of Trump’s security team for four years. On July 13, 2024, Trump was shot in Butler, Pennsylvania. He then ran to cover Trump on stage. At that time he was managing a team of 85 employees. Karan joined the Secret Service in 2001. Senate approval is not required for this post. Previous director Kimberly Cheatle resigned after Butler’s failure.
