Chinese President Xi Jinping retiring? His once in a decade move leaves big hint

Chinese President Xi Jinping, widely regarded as a leader for life, is beginning to delegate authority to key organs of the ruling Communist Party, a first in his over 12-year rule.

Xi’s move sparked speculation that he may be laying the groundwork for an orderly power transition or scaling back his role in preparation for possible retirement.

Speculation about Xi’s power transition was rife after state-run Xinhua news agency recently reported that the powerful 24-member Political Bureau of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) in its meeting on Jun 30 reviewed a set of new regulations on the work of the party’s institutions.

The meeting presided over by Xi himself stressed that the regulations will further standardise the establishment, responsibilities, and operations of the CPC Central Committee’s decision-making, deliberative, and coordinating institutions.

Such institutions should exercise more effective leadership and coordination over major tasks and focus on planning, discussing, and overseeing major tasks, the Xinhua report said.


While the overseas Chinese dissident community in recent months was abuzz with speculation of a power struggle within the secretive and tightly controlled CPC, a China-based political analyst who spoke on condition of anonymity said the regulations on these party bodies could hint at preparations for Xi’s retirement. “The rules may be set up to regulate the bodies because it’s a key time for power transition,” the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post on Sunday quoted the analyst as saying. Other experts, however, averred that Xi, regarded as the most powerful leader after CPC founder Mao Zedong, may be delegating some powers to focus on larger issues.

“It does seem that Xi might pay less attention to day-to-day details, which necessitates a policing mechanism to ensure that his policy priorities are still being carried out by lower-level officials,” Victor Shih, a specialist in Chinese elite politics and finance at the University of California San Diego, told the Post.

Xi also skipped the BRICS summit being held in Rio de Janeiro from Sunday. This is the first time since he became president that he will be missing the summit of the emerging economies. Chinese Premier Li Qiang is heading China’s delegation at the summit.

Xi’s move of delegating power comes amid US President Donald Trump’s tariff war disrupting China’s USD 440 billion exports to America, besides major headwinds faced by the Chinese economy, with growth falling due to continued slowdown, and the collapse of the housing market, the mainstay of the economic growth.

The crisis was exacerbated by the government’s attempts to rein in the corporate sector and the unsuccessful zero COVID policy of shutting down Chinese cities during the height of the pandemic, resulting in the industry and business coming to a grinding halt.

Since he took over power, becoming the General Secretary of the CPC in 2012, Xi, who was previously the Vice President, rapidly consolidated his power hold in the key power centres — the party, the presidency, and the powerful military as the Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) — the overall high command of Chinese armed forces.

As he firmed up his grip over power structures, carrying out China’s biggest anti-corruption campaign in which over a million officials were punished and dozens of top generals purged, Xi was declared as “core leader” of the party, a designation that was conferred only on party founder Zedong.

Later, the key rule of the president’s term of two five-year terms was amended by the legislature, paving the way for him to get elected for an unprecedented third five-year term as the General Secretary of the Party in 2022 and as President of the country in the following year.

All of Xi’s predecessors retired after two five-year terms, while he continued in power with no term limits, earning him the label of president for life.

Analysts say his plan to remain in power or share power was expected to unravel before or during the next five-year congress of the CPC to be held in 2027, by which time his third term will end.

Source link

Visited 1 times, 1 visit(s) today

Related Article

FILE - Debris of an aircraft lie in the compound of a mosque at Pampore in Pulwama district of Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin, File)

China used embassies to undermine sales of France’s flagship Rafale fighter jet

Sales of Rafales and other armaments are big business for France’s defense industry and help efforts by the government in Paris to strengthen ties with other nations, including in Asia where China is becoming the dominant regional power. France is fighting what it calls a disinformation campaign against the Rafale Pakistan claimed its air force

Travel News from United States, Canada, Greece, Australia, China, Peru, Germany, France: Flash Floods, Fires, Airline Chaos Rock Global Tourism as TTW Live Roundup Reveals Industry Scenario, Watch the Video Now

Travel News from United States, Canada, Greece, Australia, China, Peru, Germany, France: Flash Floods, Fires, Airline Chaos Rock Global Tourism as TTW Live Roundup Reveals Industry Scenario, Watch the Video Now

Home » Videos » Travel News from United States, Canada, Greece, Australia, China, Peru, Germany, France: Flash Floods, Fires, Airline Chaos Rock Global Tourism as TTW Live Roundup Reveals Industry Scenario, Watch the Video Now Sunday, July 6, 2025 Travel news from the United States, Canada, Greece, Australia, China, Peru, Germany, and France is exploding

China's Mysterious Ekranoplan Seen In Full For First Time

China’s Mysterious Ekranoplan Seen In Full For First Time

The TWZ Newsletter Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy. We are getting our first full look at China’s wing-in-ground effect (WIG) craft. It was first identified last week by our friend and submarine warfare analyst HI Sutton. You can read his initial post at Naval News

U.S. will discuss a TikTok deal with China, Trump says

U.S. will discuss a TikTok deal with China, Trump says

IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Search and rescue continues in Texas 00:43 Gov. Abbott boosts Texas storm response 00:59 How the Guadalupe River left a path of destruction 00:35 Julian McMahon dead at age 56 after cancer battle 00:17 Drone video shows deadly Texas flooding

Ding later earned a PhD in biology from Nanyang Technological University, a leading institution in Singapore, and also obtained a master’s degree in biodiversity from Oxford University in the UK. Photo: Douyin

China delivery rider graduated from top schools like Oxford inspires others to stay positive

A man in China has been dubbed “the food delivery worker with the highest education level” due to earning degrees from several prestigious global universities, including Oxford. The story of 39-year-old Ding Yuanzhao has reignited intense discussions surrounding the devaluation of academic qualifications against the backdrop of a challenging job market, as reported by the

מעקב מסין

How Chinese smart devices are spying inside Israel

IDF lieutenant colonels will no longer be driving around in electric ATTO BYD 3 cars. Following constant pressure from cyber and information security experts, the Defense Ministry put a halt to the supply of Chinese cars to IDF officers earlier this year. This isn’t the first time the IDF has used Chinese cars. Several Chinese

0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x