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ㆍ작성일	2022-10-24 03:52

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China’s Xi emerges from Communist Party Congress with more power, set for third term
China’s top leader Xi Jinping is set to begin a norm-breaking third term with an even greater concentration of power, after retiring key party leaders from the top ruling body to make room for his own allies.

The week-long Communist Party Congress concluded Saturday with the ushering in of a new Central Committee – the party’s 200-member central leadership – which will in turn select a new slate of top leaders on Sunday.

Premier Li Keqiang and Wang Yang – neither of whom is perceived to be close to Xi – are not included in the new Central Committee, meaning they have left China’s top ruling body and will go into full retirement.

China’s top leader: Xi is widely expected to be appointed the party’s general secretary for another five years on Sunday, paving the way for potential lifelong rule. At 69, he has exceeded the informal retirement age of 68 for senior party leaders. Xi’s name is included in the list of new Central Committee members.

Li and Wang are both 67 and eligible to serve another five years on the party’s supreme Politburo Standing Committee under retirement norms. Instead, they are retiring early from the party’s apex of power, in a break with precedents in recent decades.

Li is required to step down in March as premier by the country’s constitution, which only allows the premier to serve two terms. Wang, who heads the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, was previously seen by some as a potential successor to Li.

Their surprised departure opens two more spots on the Standing Committee for Xi to fill with his own allies and proteges. Two other members on the body are past retirement age and set to step down.

Stacked with allies: A standing committee line-up that fills the body with Xi loyalists would “change the power sharing arrangement that China has seen since the late 1970s,” according to Victor Shih, an expert on elite Chinese politics at the University of California San Diego.

“Informally, Xi Jinping’s powers are (already) extremely high. He restructured the military, cleansed the security apparatus of other influence, but formally speaking in the Politburo Standing Committee, even right now, there is a balance of power, where officials historically unaffiliated with him, still held seats – that may come to an end,” said Shih, adding such an outcome could create an “unhealthy dynamic” where Xi is surround by people unused to giving critical policy feedback.

5:33 p.m. GMT+9, October 22, 2022
From CNN's Nectar Gan and Simone McCarthy

By Jessie Yeung, CNN

Updated 6:58 AM EDT, Sat October 22, 2022

New members of the Politburo Standing Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Sunday. (Andy Wong/AP)

Chinese leader Xi Jinping has formally stepped into his norm-breaking third term ruling China with an iron grip on power, as he revealed a new leadership team stacked with loyal allies.

Here’s what you need to know:

The new A-team: Xi announced six men — Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang and Li Xi — to stand alongside him as members of the Politburo Standing Committee, China’s top ruling body. They are all staunch Xi loyalists — clearing the path for him to rule with minimal internal discord or opposition.

All male Politburo lineup: Xi also revealed the new 24-member Politburo, which for the first time in at least 25 years includes no women – highlighting the stark lack of female representation in the Communist Party’s leadership.

Officials removed: Two names raised eyebrows for their conspicuous absence. Hu Chunhua, one of China’s vice premiers, was once widely viewed as a candidate for top leadership — but the 59-year-old is now no longer listed as a Politburo member. Meanwhile, former Xinjiang party secretary Chen Quanguo is also missing from the Central Committee roster.

No clear successors: Standing Committee lineups before the Xi era have included younger members as potential successors for the top leader. But with the youngest member at 60 years old this time, there’s no stand-out name in the mix – a potential sign Xi is not planning to step down anytime soon.

Fallout over Hu Jintao: The 79-year-old former leader was unexpectedly led out of the room during yesterday’s closing ceremony of the Party Congress, seeming initially reluctant to leave. State-run news agency Xinhua later said on its English-language Twitter — which is blocked in China — that Hu had been removed for “health” reasons, though many experts have voiced doubt. The incident has so far not been reported in state-run Chinese-language media or discussed on Chinese social media, where such conversation is highly restricted.

Xi Jinping has entered a third term surrounded by loyalists. Here are the key moments from today

From CNN's Simone McCarthy, Nectar Gan, Steven Jiang, Yong Xiong and Wayne Chang

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