[China Xi Jinping 3rd Term] 'Xi's Men' Built an Iron Fortress... Principles and Balance Disappeared

State-run People's Daily Features Large Photo of President Xi Jinping on Front Page
Photo of Standing Committee Members Smaller Compared to 2017 '2nd Term'
Xi Displays Absolute Power by Prominently Featuring His Own Faction

On the 24th, the People's Daily of China prominently featured a large photo of President Xi Jinping on its front page, announcing the launch of 'Xi Jinping's third term' (left). On October 26, 2017, the People's Daily also published the same photo on its page to report on President Xi's reappointment (right). However, the size of the photos of the seven Standing Committee members at the bottom was reduced compared to 2017, making their faces difficult to recognize. This can be seen as indicating the strengthening of a one-man system centered on President Xi Jinping and the concentration of power.

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Kim Hyunjung] Chinese President Xi Jinping has secured a third term, placing his faction and closest aides at the forefront of the Communist Party's top leadership. Having built an impregnable fortress of power through the leadership, President Xi fired the starting signal for long-term rule by abandoning even the minimal symbolic balance.

On the 24th, the Chinese state-run People's Daily reported on its front page that he was re-elected as Party General Secretary and Chairman of the Central Military Commission at the first plenary session of the 20th Central Committee (1st Plenum) held the previous day. A large photo of President Xi, occupying about half of the page's center, was also published. Compared to his re-election in 2017, the photos of the seven top leaders at the bottom became so small that their faces were barely recognizable, highlighting President Xi's presence even more.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

◆ Built an impregnable political fortress... At the center, 'Absolute Power Xi' = President Xi's consolidation of power is more clearly confirmed not only in the People's Daily, the Communist Party's official newspaper, but also in the newly elected top leadership and the seven members of the Standing Committee of the Central Political Bureau following the 1st Plenum. Four so-called 'Xi's army' (Xi Jinping's former direct subordinates) ? Li Qiang, Party Secretary of Shanghai; Cai Qi, Party Secretary of Beijing; Ding Xuexiang, Director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee; and Li Xi, Party Secretary of Guangdong Province ? newly joined the Standing Committee, while Wang Huning, Secretary of the Central Secretariat, and Zhao Leji, Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, known as close aides, remained.

The most notable point is that President Xi formed a 'one team' that allows no other factions or dissenting opinions. He admitted only his unquestionable closest aides, thereby building an impregnable fortress. Li Keqiang, the Premier classified as a market-oriented reformer who had shown dissenting views; Wang Yang, Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and an economic expert; and Hu Chunhua, Vice Premier designated as the 'next-next leader' by former President Hu Jintao according to the principle of alternating generations, were all excluded from this lineup. All of them belong to the Communist Youth League faction, a rival to Xi's army and aligned with former President Hu.

Li Qiang, newly entering the leadership, took the stage second after President Xi at the 1st Plenum press conference, signaling that he will succeed Li Keqiang as Premier. Despite being held responsible for the economic damage caused by the lockdown of Shanghai due to pandemic control failures and having never served as Vice Premier, his appointment as the second-highest-ranking official in the state hierarchy is widely seen as a decision based entirely on loyalty. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, only two figures (Zhou Enlai and Hua Guofeng) have skipped the Vice Premier position to become Premier.

Additionally, the number of Politburo members was reduced from 25 to 24, repeatedly indicating 'power concentration,' and women, who usually had at least one member, were completely excluded. By securing his third term at age 69, breaking the principle of 'seven up, eight down' (retirement at 68, continuation at 67) and the tradition of alternating generations (where the current leader pre-selects the next), President Xi also symbolically closed the door to the appointment of female politicians. The Financial Times (FT) quoted Balazs Tan, an analyst at the Mercator Institute for China Studies in Berlin, saying, "Although women's suffrage is enshrined in the Chinese constitution, no women have been appointed to powerful positions," and that "systematic male chauvinism is deeply rooted in Chinese politics."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

◆ 'Internal and external troubles' in China, major reshuffle in economic and diplomatic lines = Amid internal challenges such as slowing economic growth and external difficulties including US-China conflicts and efforts to prevent Taiwan independence, President Xi also carried out a major reshuffle of the economic and diplomatic teams.

In the list of 205 members of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, released after the closing of the 20th National Congress on the 22nd, names of key current economic officials such as Vice Premier Liu He, People's Bank of China Governor Yi Gang, People's Bank of China Deputy Governor and China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission Chairman Guo Shuqing, and Finance Minister Liu Kun were all missing. It is expected that they will step down after the National People's Congress (NPC) in March next year.

Vice Premier Liu He had been regarded as the de facto 'power broker' who effectively played the role of Premier Li Keqiang, who was under President Xi's control. A middle school classmate of President Xi, he was also called 'Xi Jinping's economic adviser,' but at age 70, his retirement was naturally decided. The leading candidate for the next Vice Premier is He Lifeng, Director of the National Development and Reform Commission. Having worked with President Xi in Fujian Province, he is classified as part of 'Xi's army' and has participated in large-scale projects such as the Belt and Road Initiative.

For the successor to Governor Yi Gang, Deputy Mayor of Beijing Yin Yong and Chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission Yi Huiman are mentioned. Deputy Mayor Yin Yong previously served as Deputy Governor of the People's Bank of China, and Chairman Yi Huiman is a financial expert who worked at the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China for 40 years. Bloomberg also forecasts that Zhu Hexin, Chairman of CITIC Securities, China's largest securities firm, and Liu Guiping, Deputy Mayor of Tianjin, could be included in the new economic team.

The diplomatic team will also be replaced abruptly. With the retirement of 72-year-old Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau responsible for foreign affairs and Director of the Central Foreign Affairs Office, expected, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi is likely to enter the Central Political Bureau and take charge of the diplomatic command. For Wang's successor as Foreign Minister, Qin Gang, Ambassador to the United States and symbol of 'Wolf Warrior' diplomacy, is mentioned. Having worked in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for 30 years since 1992, he has led China's tough diplomacy toward the US.

Liu Jie, Director of the Taiwan Affairs Office, is expected to retire as he is not included in the 20th Central Committee, so a new figure is anticipated to handle Taiwan-related affairs. Additionally, Liu Jianchao, Head of the Central United Front Work Department; Qi Yu, Party Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and Liu Haixing, Deputy Director of the Central National Security Commission Office, are among those named to the 20th Central Committee.