Chinese President Xi Jinping unveiled China’s new senior leadership team Wednesday, introducing the powerful men who will run the country for the next five years.
Standing in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Xi presented the six men who will join him on the Politburo Standing Committee. While Premier Li Keqiang is already a member, there are five new additions to China’s elite decision-making body.
Li Zhanshu, who has long served in a position similar to chief of staff, is expected to become the chairman of China’s National People’s Congress, former Mayor of Shanghai Han Zheng will likely serve as the executive vice premier, and bold reformer Wang Yang is expected to preside over the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, the country’s top advisory body. Wang Huning, a professor turned politician, will probably be tasked with managing the party ideology and propaganda.
As Wang Qishan unexpectedly stepped down, Zhao Leji has become the new leader of the party’s anti-corruption agency — the Central Commission for Discipline and Inspection. During Xi’s first five years in power, over one million Chinese government officials have been charged with corruption. While the president asserts the campaign is designed to cleanse the party, critics claim Xi is purging political rivals.
These men will help advance the president’s vision for a strong, modern China determined to rise to great power status. Xi has surrounded himself with allies who will support his efforts to reshape China and the party in what has been called a “new era.”
There are no clear signs Xi has selected a successor. Sun Zhengcai, a rising political star who was identified as a possible successor, was accused of plotting to usurp party leadership, and Chen Min’er, another potential, was elected to the Politburo, but not the elite Politburo Standing Committee. All seven of the men on the standing committee will be 65 or older when Xi completes his second term. An unwritten party rule dictates that members retire at 68, which means that no one on the committee would be able to take over for the Chinese president.
Wang Qishan’s retirement suggests that the party intends to uphold the rule, although some officials have dismissed the tradition as outdated and nonsensical.
Some expert observers and China watchers suspect that Xi will continue to serve as the top leader in China — even after he steps down — until he passes, ruling in much the way that his predecessor Deng Xiaoping did.
Send tips to ryan@
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.