To secure a smooth entry into his precedent-breaking third term, Chinese president Xi Jinping elevated loyal party workers and subordinates to positions of power, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Xi appointed associates to higher positions which oversee law enforcement and propaganda distribution. Xi supporters who were vocal won promotion while some Communist Party of China (CPC) officials who fell out of favour with him were demoted to less-important positions.
The Chinese president will huddle with party elders in the coming weeks in the coastal town of Beidaihe – a location where party officials have often met to discuss important matters and appointments to higher positions.
The economic slowdown, prospective homebuyers threatening to not pay mortgages and frustration regarding Covid Zero has created discontent among party members and despite predictions that Xi Jinping will ease into his third term, he still faces challenges.
Firstly, it is evident that Li Keqiang has been sidelined by Xi Jinping.
The Chinese premier is at odds with the Chinese president over economic policy. Xi has pestered Li to deliver on the economic front but Li has pointed out – indirectly but publicly – on several occasions that Covid Zero approach acts as an obstacle.
The WSJ report, however, revealed that Li Keqiang will still have a say in the upcoming meetings in Beidaihe.
Who’s In and Who’s Out
Hu Jintao, former Chinese president and Li Keqiang, who have inspired the tuanpai or the Youth League Faction of CPC are being sidelined by Xi Jinping. Both leaders were members of the tuanpai or the Youth League Faction, which was seen as a counterweight to Xi Jinping’s faction within the party.
Lu Hao, who was perceived to be a future leader, was removed from his role as the minister of natural resources. He has since been appointed as party chief and director of the State Council’s Development Research Centre, a think tank. This is a less important role and is perceived as a semi-retirement role.
Among those who were promoted was Wang Xiaohong, a law-enforcement veteran. Wang worked under Xi when the latter was working in Fujian. He became the first police officer to lead the ministry of public security. He was elevated to this position in June this year.
Wang could further be elevated to a higher-ranking party role in the CPC. He could also be promoted to the position of state councillor—a senior position in China’s cabinet.
Li Shulei, another Xi loyalist, was promoted to the position of executive vice minister of the party’s powerful Central Propaganda Department. Li Shulei could take over the position of Huang Kunming, head of the Propaganda Department of China’s Communist Party Central Committee and join the politburo.
Xi is also planning to appoint longtime confidant He Lifeng to the position of the head of China’s state economic-planning agency which takes important calls regarding China’s economic and financial systems.
Alfred Wu, an associate professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore, speaking to the Wall Street Journal said: “(The) crucial roles overseeing security, propaganda and the economy would all be controlled by Xi’s people. Xi is preparing to stay in power for quite some time.”
The fate of Li Qiang, party’s top official in Shanghai, remains unclear. His draconian lockdown was not popular among the party members and angered the public, even leading to protests.
That compromised Xi’s position internationally but keeping Qiang alongside him, as he enters the third presidential term could boost the Chinese president’s strongman image as he doubles down on Covid Zero implementation.
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