What China’s new leadership team will tell us about Xi’s plans
The soon-to-be-unveiled Politburo Standing Committee will face urgent challenges including a slowing economy, ageing population, wary tech sector and global tensions over Taiwan.
The Communist Party of China’s 20th National Congress is typically preceded by speculation about who will sit at the high table – the Standing Committee of the Politburo – but bookmakers are no longer taking bets on who will occupy the centre seat. An unprecedented third term for Xi Jinping as the country’s undisputed leader is the closest thing to what we can call a certainty.
Still, that leaves six places to fill. While Li Keqiang has made it clear he will not be pursuing a third term as China’s premier, he may still remain in the top tier, perhaps becoming chairman of the National People’s Congress, which has little autonomous power. Will his replacement bring a mild change of direction?
