This is due to the fact that when the Chinese Prime Minister resigns in March 2023, a decision he confirmed in March will trigger a major reshuffle in the upper echelons of the Chinese government. In a country where the succession of power has been slow and deliberate, Li’s retirement could start a fundamental shift in roles between China’s most powerful governing body – the Standing Committee on Political Bureau – and lead to a further consolidation of power. under Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The bond of China’s elite is often obscured by what appears to be overwhelming control and centralization of power in Xi’s hands. Having stripped himself of his constitutional mandate, Xi has been hailed as the most powerful leader by Mao Zedong. He can now rule for life and continue to rule the country of 1.4 billion people with tight control over military reform, cybersecurity and Internet censorship. Xi, the 68-year-old twice-married supreme leader, served as general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and chairman of the Central Military Commission before becoming chairman in 2013. Xi is one of China’s most famous “princes” – descendants of prominent Communists party representing a strong ruling party. But while his princely status – the son of veteran revolutionary communist Xi Zhongxun – may have helped him rise to power, Xi maintained his leadership role only by closely monitoring his inner circle and regularly shaking up the status quo. This trend has proved dangerous for lifelong Chinese bureaucrats who feel very comfortable within authoritarianism. Take for example former security chief Zhou Yongkang, prominent politician Bo Xilai and Communist Party leader Chongqing Sun Zhengcai, who were all ousted from the party’s upper echelons during Xi’s reign.
China impenetrable black power box
Chinese President Xi Jinping sits safely on the power grid in China. But the men around him also have huge political influence. Xie Huanchi / Xinhua via Getty Images
Given the heavy censorship and control of the state media in the country – it is almost impossible to know what is really going on in China’s power.
Observers watched China’s demonstrations of power in its military parades. He looked at the tea leaves to predict China’s succession line after Xi. and looked at position charts to support the proximity of government officials to the top of power.
“What people really think is opaque under the game of chess they play. And the game of chess itself goes on in an extremely impenetrable black box,” Perry Link, an associate professor of East Asian Studies at Princeton University, told CNN.
Experts told Insider the Politburo – the top decision-making body of the Chinese Communist Party – and that its top members are the ones who really have control over the country, despite the influence that high-profile Chinese billionaires seem to have.
“Government campaigns last year – whether focused on celebrities or education companies – prove that the Chinese State Party is the ultimate arbiter of power. The state will be punished in some way,” Jennifer Hsu, an investigator, told Insider. public opinion and foreign policy at the Lowy Institute.
Maybe no one knows better than Jack Ma.
Ma, the founder of e-commerce and technology company Alibaba, enjoyed a fascinating life with high-profile appearances and an overflowing bank account – Ma reportedly had $ 62 billion in 2020 at the height of his power, making him the richest man in the world. China.
But in October 2020, he criticized China’s financial regulatory system, implying that Chinese banks are dragging their feet behind the times, continuing to follow global rules that are part of “an old-fashioned club”.
Then Ma disappeared.
Some believed he had been taken to a detention camp by the Chinese government. Others assumed it was intentionally low.
Ma finally appeared – heavily punished – in early 2021. China had launched an antitrust inquiry into Alibaba and closed Ma’s plans for an Ant Group IPO. It was a strong reminder that while it is possible to reap huge financial benefits as a businessman in China, the CCP still has absolute power.
“Of course, they have huge resources and ‘soft power’ that comes from admiring them as business executives. But in the end, the Party can influence them to do what they want – it really does not work the other way around.” Rana Miter, a professor of history and modern Chinese politics at Oxford, told Insider.
Take a look at Xi’s close circle and we’ve narrowed down the list of the top 12 most influential people around Xi Jinping. We spoke with experts who told us more about the internal functioning of the Communist Party, what it means to have real power in China and who exercises it.
Xi’s close circle – Politburo Standing Committee and Vice President Wang Qishan – call for all shots
Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) arrives with Prime Minister Li Keqiang (L) and members of the Politburo Standing Committee for a reception at the Beijing People’s Hall on the eve of China National Day on September 30, 2021. Greg Baker / AFP via Getty Images)
The CCP formed the first Standing Committee on Politburo in July 1928. It was a leading member of the Chinese government – including the future President Mao, who became the Chinese leader in 1949. The modern Politburo is now considered to be elected by its outgoing members. Standing Committee in consultation with retired top leaders and former members of the Standing Committee. The Central Committee of the Communist Party holds closed-door meetings to select its 25-member Politburo – and within this number is the exclusive Standing Committee of the Politburo. It consists of Xi and six others who meet and operate largely in secret. The last reshuffle of the Politburo Standing Committee took place in 2017 when five new members – Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji and Han Zheng – were promoted to the committee. But since these men are all 65 and older and either approaching or well past the retirement age of 67, there does not appear to be a clear succession plan for Xi, who has paved the way for breaking with tradition. and give himself a third term. Xi is also flanked by his vice president, Wang Qishan, who has known the Chinese leader since he was a teenager. While Wang is not a member of the PSC, he also has enough power due to his proximity to Xi. Whether there will be further changes in the political landscape and whether Xi will elect more members of the supporting factions will be decided in the autumn of 2022, when the 20th Congress of the Party will begin. Meanwhile, political power under Xi remains entrenched among the following men:
Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan is one of Xi’s key allies and met the Chinese leader when he was a teenager. Pang Xinglei / Xinhua via Getty Images
Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan, 73, is Xi’s right-hand man. Before Xi came to power, Wang was known as a political prince by marriage, coming to the forefront of the CCP in part because of his marriage to the daughter of former Deputy Prime Minister Yao Yilin. Ties with Xi: The son of an engineering teacher, Wang met and befriended the then 15-year-old Xi, when the couple were assigned manual roles in a rural community near Yanan, Shaanxi Province, during the Cultural Revolution. Wang later joined the CCP in 1983 and rose to become a member of the Politburo in 2007, helping to counter China’s trade talks with the United States. Wang also helped lead the Xi’s pet project, an anti-corruption crackdown on tens of thousands of prominent Chinese officials that began in 2013. Wang, Xi’s longtime ally, allegedly helped the Chinese leader clear the way by using anti-corruption the anti-corruption campaign as a tool. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Wang is a big fan of Netflix’s “House of Cards.” Victor Shih, an expert on China-Pacific relations and an associate professor of political science at the University of California, San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy, told Insider that he believes there can be …
