The Chinese leader Xi Jinping has had his name added to the Party Constitution with his ‘Xi Jinping Thoughts on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics in a new Era’.
It puts Xi alongside Mao and Deng Xiaoping whereas China’s two previous leaders Hu Jintao and Jiang Zemin did not get their names in the Constitution. It underlines that Xi is the strongest Chinese President since Deng Xiaopeng and some believe since Mao.
The list of the new Central Committee of 205 members is also released and reveals that Wang Qishan is stepping down as he is not on the list. Wang Qishan has been the leader of the corruption campaign and generally believed to be the no. 2 in the Party after Xi Jinping. Wang Qishan is 69 and thus due to retire according to the informal rule of ‘7 up, 8 down’ that says a member of the Standing Committee must retire if he is above 67. However, it had been speculated that Xi Jinping would keep him on and thus break the informal rule. However, it turns out Xi Jinping has decided to respect the line of the Party – a positive sign that despite being more powerful, he still respects the Party line.
The Central Committee will now have its first plenum and vote on the members of the Standing Committee. The members will be presented tomorrow. The SCMP revealed a list of likely members of the new Committee on Sunday. It suggests that it will continue to consist of seven members and that there will be representatives from different factions of the Party. This would be another sign that Xi Jinping is striking a balance in exercising his power. With his name in the constitution, it is clear he is a strong leader. At the same time, he would signal openness for cooperation across the factions of the Party by not just putting his ‘own people’ in the Standing Committee. It is of course still not official who the members are and we will need to see this confirmed tomorrow. Below is the list named in the article.
What will be in focus tomorrow is also if a successor for Xi Jinping is designated when he is supposed to step down in 2022. If the list from the South China Morning Post holds true, none of the members will be young enough to be a successor and thus be able to serve one five-year term in the Standing Committee and then two five-year terms as President if the informal rule of ‘7 up, 8 down’ is respected. This would require an age of 57 or younger when entering the Standing Committee. However, it is only an informal rule, so it is possible to deviate without the need for changes of any formal rules. If confirmed, however, it may increase speculation that Xi Jinping will aim to stay on after his second term expires in 2022. The two possible members young enough to be successors and that have been in the run-up are Chen Min’er (54) and Hu Chunhua (57). However, if the latest list of members is true, neither of them will make it to the Standing Committee.
