Banking veteran Li Yun fills senior Shenzhen posts in countdown to Apec

A banking veteran named Li Yun has been appointed as the deputy Communist Party secretary and acting mayor of Shenzhen, just before the city hosts a series of APEC meetings in November. Li, who spent over two decades in financial institutions, is replacing Qin Weizhong, who resigned from the positions due to a "change in work post."

Li, who is 52 years old and has a doctorate in world economy from Wuhan University, has been the vice-governor of Guangdong province since March of last year. Before assuming his new roles, Li served as the vice-president of China Construction Bank in 2021 and became the vice-governor of Guangdong in 2025. As the new deputy party secretary and acting mayor, Li vows to implement the decisions of the Central Committee, provincial, and municipal party committees, as well as drive Shenzhen's high-quality development and modernization efforts.

Qin Weizhong, Li's predecessor, was in charge of housing, environment, and big data management in Guangdong before taking up the Shenzhen positions. After Li's appointment, Jin Lei, a 56-year-old economist, was appointed party chief of Shenzhen. Jin, who previously worked in Sichuan province, inspected APEC preparation work and pledged to fulfill the political mission while serving national diplomatic strategies.

Since Jin's appointment, Shenzhen has implemented measures to address long-standing issues such as e-bikes and public smoking, along with enhancing security in the Futian district, which houses the APEC venues. Shenzhen has also been actively pursuing internationalization by upgrading services and attracting global companies, as evidenced by recent deals signed between the Port of Shenzhen and 16 other ports worldwide.