In 2014, a report compiled from Xinhua, Outlook Weekly and the Beijing News described the hidden power of the secretaries of leading officials. They are the people closest to the leader, and those who want favors approach them first. It quoted Li Zhen, once known as “Hebei’s first secretary”: “When I was a secretary, someone was in charge of me, but no one supervised me.”
A report of the discipline inspection and supervision authorities, carried by Huanqiu, noted that in bribery cases, “the secretaries, drivers, subordinates and friends of leading cadres are also often involved.”