Xi tightens grip on power as China unveils new leaders

Zhao Leji, current head of the party’s powerful anti-corruption body — which is responsible for implementing Xi's sweeping crackdown on graft, with political enemies often targeted — is expected to head China’s National People’s Congress, the country’s legislature.

The promotion would place him as the third-highest ranking position in the Standing Committee, China’s top decision-making body. 

Wang Huning, the Communist Party's ideology czar, is also expected to be promoted as the head of China’s top political advisory body.

Wang, a former academic, is an influential party ideologue whose ideas have been at the forefront of China's more assertive stance on the world stage and has been a Standing Committee member since 2017. Hs is often seen as the ultimate political chameleon and survivor after serving under Xi and his two predecessors.  

Xi Jinping has left the stage in Beijing's great Hall of the People and is walking out, after unveiling a Standing Committee — China's most powerful decision-making body — full of staunch allies, clearing the path for him to rule for a third term with limited internal opposition.

The seven men stood on stage, posing for photos before a crowded room of press, before Xi delivered remarks and introduced each member.

Xi Jinping has unveiled China's new top leaders in the seven-member Politburo Standing Committee — with himself at the helm, surrounded by allies and loyalists.

Here are the Standing Committee members, in order of rank — the same order in which they walked out on stage.

Of these members, Li Qiang, Cai Qi, Li Xi and Ding Xuexiang are newly appointed; the rest are incumbents.

Previous Standing Committee lineups have included younger members and potential successors — but with the youngest member at 60 years old this time, there's no clear successor in the mix, a potential sign Xi is not stepping down anytime soon.

Despite facing strong backlash for a chaotic two-month Covid-19 lockdown in Shanghai earlier this year — which saw residents denied access to food, water, medical care or other basic necessities while confined to their homes — the city’s party chief, Li Qiang, is expected to become China’s next premier in March after the incumbent Li Keqiang steps down.

It is the highest-ranking position in China after Xi Jinping.

Li's presumptive appointment is seen as the latest proof that loyalty and affinity to Xi trumps all else in China’s current political landscape.

Li Qiang has previously worked closely under Xi in China’s southern economic powerhouse, Zhejiang province.

Unlike current Premier Li Keqiang and his predecessors, Li has not served as a vice-premier or worked in the central government in any capacity.

Watch:

Chinese leader Xi Jinping has formally stepped into his third term ruling China with an iron grip on power, as he revealed a top leadership body stacked with allies, breaking with recent precedent to secure another five years in power.

On Sunday, following the first meeting of the party's new Central Committee, six men in addition to Xi were selected to be members of the Politburo Standing Committee, China's top ruling body:

They now compose the Politburo Standing Committee, China's most powerful decision-making body, and will sit atop of the party to drive the world's second-largest economy over the coming half decade.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping is revealing his top leadership team for the next five years, culminating months of closed-door preparations as he begins a norm-breaking third term surrounded by allies — further cementing his power.

The new members of the Politburo Standing Committee, China’s most powerful decision-making body, are walking forth in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing in order of rank — publicly revealing for the first time the faces that will sit atop of the party over the coming half decade.

Closed-door negotiations: The standing committee is formally appointed by a rubber-stamp vote of the party's newly-formed Central Committee, its 205-member leadership body.

But this is widely viewed as a mere formality, with the real decisions on who will fill the top spots made in closed-door discussions between top party leaders, months before the big day arrived.

Consolidated power: Two key heavyweights not in Xi's inner circle are now set to retire — leaving Xi head of a Standing Committee largely clear of rivals, changing what for decades had been a power-sharing structure in the party’s top echelon.

We are minutes away from the highly-anticipated reveal of the Communist Party's Politburo Standing Committee — China's most powerful decision-making body, and the top leadership team that will surround Xi Jinping as he enters a norm-breaking third term, paving the way for potential lifelong rule.

Their big entrance: These new top leaders will then make a highly-choreographed entrance into the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, walking in order of importance.

As in 2017, Xi is expected to lead the group into the room as the newly-confirmed general secretary and introduce the other members of the new Standing Committee in a nationally televised event.

Why this matters: The line-up will provide a rare glimpse into the black box of Chinese elite politics. China watchers will be waiting to see how many members of the Standing Committee are selected and who they are, as signs of whether Xi has absolute power or has made concessions.

They will also be looking for a potential successor in the midst, which could give a clue into how long Xi intends to rule.

Read the full explainer here.

The new members of the Communist Party's Politburo Standing Committee, China’s most powerful decision-making body, will make their first appearance in Beijing today, walking out in order of rank to publicly reveal the faces that will sit atop of the party and drive the world’s second-largest economy over the coming half decade.

This year’s event, which comes one day after the close of the five-yearly Party Congress, is one of the most consequential and closely watched in decades.

Top officials retire: A preview into the sweeping reshuffle expected to be unveiled Sunday was on-show at the Congress’ end when two key heavyweights not in Xi’s inner circle – including China’s current number-two Li Keqiang – were not included in the party’s new Central Committee, meaning they have left China’s top ruling body and will go into full retirement.

This will likely leave Xi presiding over a Standing Committee where rivals have largely been eliminated, formally changing what for decades had been a power-sharing structure in the party’s top echelon.

Potential replacements: Several proteges or allies of Xi have been flagged by watchers of elite Chinese politics as likely candidates to fill the newly-empty seats.

A top body filled with loyalists, would “weaken further” top-level power sharing, according to Chen Gang, Senior Research Fellow National University of Singapore’s East Asian Institute.

Challenges ahead: But even a Standing Committee stacked with allies “does not necessarily mean that Xi will become an omnipotent supreme leader and can do anything. His unlimited power will be constrained by his limited capacity and decreasing energy as he turns older,” said Yang Zhang, an assistant professor at American University’s School of International Service.

Xi’s own associates will divide into different blocs and compete for power; meanwhile, Xi’s full control also means his team will be fully responsible for any policy mistake and could provoke stronger international pushback from the US-led Western countries, he said.

Read the full story:

RELATED

China's top leaders to be revealed as Xi Jinping cements grip on power | CNN

Xi Jinping is about to begin his third term, with an iron grip on power as he prepares to unveil the Communist Party's top leaders.

The members chosen for the Standing Committee — to be revealed any moment now in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing — could indicate the state of Xi’s influence within the Party.

If he’s able to stack the Standing Committee — which is currently made up of seven men — with allies and loyalists, that could signify even fewer checks on his power; alternatively, a more diverse Standing Committee could suggest Xi has made concessions to other power players or factions.

The Standing Committee selection could also reveal whether a potential successor is in the midst – giving a clue into how long Xi intends to rule.

Here are some of top contenders for the Standing Committee selection: