China’s Xi concentrates power with new term in top role
President Xi Jinping tightened his political grip on China Sunday as he was named to his third term as head of the ruling Communist Party.
The most powerful leader in decades, the 69-year-old Xi is expected by some to try to stay in the top spot for life. He first took office in 2012.
The Communist party also named a seven-member inner circle of power, dominated by Xi allies who support his vision of restoring China to its historic role as a political, economic and cultural leader.
Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks at an event to introduce new members of the Politburo Standing Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022. (Ng Han Guan/)
Proclaiming a “great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation,” Xi has called for speeded-up military development, “self-reliance and strength” in technology and defense of China’s interests abroad.
His ambitions put China at odds with the U.S., Europe and its Asian neighbors over trade, security, human rights and territorial disputes.
Some commentators called the newly anointed slate of powerful insiders “Maximum Xi” who were rewarded more for loyalty than for ability.
New members of the Politburo Standing Committee, front to back, President Xi Jinping, Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang, and Li Xi arrive at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022. (Ng Han Guan/)
“Power will be even more concentrated in the hands of Xi Jinping,” said Jean-Pierre Cabestan, a Chinese politics expert at Hong Kong Baptist University.
The new appointees are “all loyal to Xi,” he said. “There is no counterweight or checks and balances in the system at all.”
“Clearly, it’s a return to a much more state-controlled type of economy,” he added. “This means, for private business, they will be on an even shorter leash, with party committees everywhere.”
In an unexpected moment in a highly choreographed meeting of the party Central Committee, Xi’s predecessor Hu Jintao, 79, abruptly left with an aide holding his arm.
Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks at event to introduce new members of the Politburo Standing Committee, from left, Li Xi, Cai Qi, Zhao Leji, Li Qiang, Wang Huning, and Ding Xuexiang at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022. (Andy Wong/)
His unusual departure Saturday raised questions of whether Xi was flexing his muscle by expelling other leaders. The official Xinhua News Agency reported Hu was in poor health.
The leadership announcements came at the end of the party’s twice-a-decade congress that was closely watched by other governments and by investors who want to know how China plans to reverse its economic slump. However, Chinese officials announced no policy or strategy changes.
Xi’s third five-year term as general secretary is a break with tradition that has seen his predecessors leave after 10 years.
Internationally, Chinese efforts to exert its influence will lead to “more tension and difficulty,” said Steve Tsang, director of the University of London’s China Institute.
With no one to disagree with Xi on the inside, “there is nobody in Beijing who can advise Xi Jinping that this is not the way to go,” Tsang said.
With News Wire Services
