Chinese Communist Party General Secretary Xi Jinping has spent the past decade rewriting retirement age rules for the leadership in an attempt to weed out rivals. If the situation had been different, we might have been in the countdown stage until the beginning of the Hu Chunhua regime.
Deputy Prime Minister Hu, who has the same Communist Youth League (Communist Youth League) affiliation as former General Secretary Hu Jintao, and is also called “Little Hu”, was once the youngest member of the Central Politburo of the Communist Party, and is an influential successor to General Secretary Xi. considered a candidate. But at the Communist Party Congress, which opened on the 16th, one of the focal points is whether Mr. Hu can win the premiership.
Vice Premier Hu, 59, is one of the front-runners to succeed Li Keqiang. A promotion to the premiership might mean a compromise in factional disputes, but it might also be a strategic move to soften internal criticism as Xi seeks to stay in power indefinitely. high.
Hu Chunhua
Photographer: Feng Li/Getty Images
“If Hu takes the premiership, Xi won’t be a candidate to succeed him, but a weak number two who won’t threaten his authority,” said Neil Thomas, senior China analyst at Eurasia Group. It is highly probable that he wanted to do so,” he said, pointing out that Hu, who has experience in policy enforcement, does not have the political authority to change the system. Despite Mr. Xi’s overthrow of his rival, Mr. Hu does not seem to be seen as a threat if he is to survive within the leadership.
Xi is expected to announce the replacement of up to four of the seven Politburo Standing Committee members at the party congress, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported on the 18th. The source of the information was not disclosed. It is customary to retire if you are 68 years old or older at the party convention, but Mr. Xi is already 69 years old.
Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), citing several sources close to the leadership, said that Xi plans to keep the leadership close to him and may not promote Hu. . In this scenario, Li Qiang, the head of the Shanghai Municipal Party and a former aide to Mr. Xi, is the frontrunner to become the next prime minister. Li’s appointment is a testament to Xi’s particular emphasis on loyalty.
Original title:The Fate of This One-Time Xi Heir May Signal China’s Direction(excerpt)