Who Is ‘Uncle He?’ The Man in Charge of China’s Economy

BEIJING—In his first term, President Xi Jinping took control of China’s economy. In the second, he is putting in charge a trusted ally he has known since middle school.

Proposed constitutional changes, made public Sunday, that would allow Mr. Xi to stay in power indefinitely would also shift more influence to his inner circle. Few are more central than Mr. Xi’s behind-the-scenes economic steward, Liu He, who will be named vice premier in charge of a wide swath of the economy—the financial system and the industrial sector—at...