Parallel groupings of power and, correspondingly, tensions in personnel network building and policy priorities have emerged between Premier Li Qiang and Secretary Cai Qi of the Central Committee Secretariat in the current CCP leadership. This helps explain the contradictions in China’s governance, the policy inconsistencies, and sources of personnel instability. To explore the background, we outline the role and status of Li and Cai, respectively, in the leadership and describe how Li’s power is