The man, a bespectacled official with a neat crew-cut who has made a handful of appearances alongside Chinese leader Xi Jinping in recent years, has long been considered by China watchers to be Zhou Hongxu, the Director of the Central Guard Bureau, an office similar to the US Secret Service. Beijing has never publicly confirmed Zhou’s job title, and his official biography has few clarifying details.
It was only when the White House published a list of Chinese guests and their official titles for the recent state banquet hosted by US President Donald Trump for Xi that Zhou’s official position was finally confirmed.