Latest Articles about Elite Politics
The 20th Party Congress: Xi Set to Score Big in Composition of Next Leadership Corps
Introduction Despite the resentment among many top cadres against the personality cult that has been relentlessly built up around President and commander-in-chief Xi Jinping, the Machiavellian infighter is expected to remain on top when seats for the Politburo and other top-level leadership bodies are unveiled... MORE
Economic Woes Worsen as Support for Xi Jinping’s Leadership Begins to Falter
The relentless cascade of bad economic news in China has not only cast doubt on the governance ability of the Xi Jinping leadership, but has also called into question the long-term viability of the Chinese economic model, which stresses maintaining party-state control of the market... MORE
Who Will Hold “The Barrel of a Gun” in Xi’s Third Term?: Recent PLA Promotions and the Outlook for the Next Central Military Commission
Introduction On January 21, General Secretary and Central Military Commission (CMC) chairman Xi Jinping promoted seven senior People’s Liberation Army (PLA) military and armed police officers to the rank of general: Political Commissar (PC) of Northern Theater Command Liu Qingsong, Commander of Central Theater Command... MORE
Xi Seeks to Accelerate China’s Drive for Self-sufficiency
One of the defining themes of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s first decade in power has been to promote self-sufficiency to insulate the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) economy and political system from external shocks. These efforts have assumed added urgency as a result of the... MORE
Xi Jinping is Poised to Become “Leader for Life” in Exchange for Sharing Politburo Seats with Rivals
Introduction President Xi Jinping has presided over a dramatic enhancement of his own personality cult in the run-up to the 20th Party Congress this autumn. The latest sign of this hero worship is that national media have bestowed on Xi the title of lingxiu (领袖).... MORE
China’s “Dynamic Zero-COVID” Policy Weighs on a Weak Global Economy
Introduction The long lockdown in Shanghai may finally be nearing an end. Stores in parts of the city have been permitted to gradually reopen, and limited public transportation has resumed (Sh.news.cn, May 23; Xinhua, May 11) Nevertheless, for much of the city the lockdown drags... MORE
Xi Jinping Ponders Aid to Russia even as Beijing Reaffirms its Quasi-Alliance with Moscow
Introduction The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leadership has subtly changed the tone of its characterization of the Russian war against Ukraine. It is highly doubtful, however, that supreme leader President Xi Jinping will alter the substance of his basic Russian policy, which is to build... MORE
An Iron Idol Turns to Clay: Xi Faces Neo-Dengist Opposition
Introduction Late last year, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) re-invoked a phrase that first appeared five years earlier: the “Two Establishes” (两个确立, liang ge queli) to establish General Secretary Xi Jinping as the “core of the whole party” and to enshrine “Xi Jinping Thought on... MORE
As Rival Factions Gain Traction, Xi Seeks to Secure Support from the Military
Factional rivalry and internecine bickering within the 95 million-strong Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has become so apparent that usually circumspect propaganda outlets are no longer shy about airing dirty laundry in public. An article in the December 2021 issue of the official China Discipline and... MORE