China’s leader Xi Jinping secures third term and stacks inner circle with loyalists
Xi unveiled as general secretary of ruling Communist Party, tilting China back towards one-man rule after decades of power-sharing among eliteve
Sun 23 Oct 2022 12.23 BST
First published on Sun 23 Oct 2022 05.13 BST

Xi Jinping has been confirmed as leader of China for a precedent-breaking third term, after a week-long political meeting eliminated key rivals and strengthened his political power.

The 20th Party Congress, the most important meeting of the ruling Chinese Communist party five-year political cycle, saw about 2,400 delegates gather in Beijing to rubber-stamp major reshuffles and constitutional changes before its official close on Saturday.

At a press event on Sunday, seven key Xi loyalists were revealed as members of China’s most powerful political body, the politburo standing committee (PSC), as they walked on stage in order of rank.

“I was reelected as the general secretary of the CPC central committee,” Xi said in opening remarks, before presenting the six other members: Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang, and Li Xi.

At the lead was Xi, confirming his reappointment as general secretary of the party for a third term. The long-speculated reappointment signalled Xi’s successful and overwhelming consolidation of power in Beijing, with retention of the role as chair of the military commission, controlling the People’s Liberation Army. It’s expected he will next year regain the less powerful title of president.

As the second-ranked member after Xi, Li Qiang, the party secretary of Shanghai, is likely to be appointed the next premier when Li Keqiang steps down from premiership in March after two terms.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/ ... third-term

If Xi goes crazy and attacks Taiwan..do you think the rest of the world would come to help? I have serious doubts.

truffledog wrote: ↑Sun Oct 23, 2022 8:50 pm If Xi goes crazy and attacks Taiwan..do you think the rest of the world would come to help? I have serious doubts.

Let's hope we never have to find out. The last thing anyone needs is another war kicking off.

When an ex-President is no longer welcome at the pow wow and escorted out..

Clutch Cargo wrote: ↑Mon Oct 24, 2022 6:04 am

Yeah, that was very bizarre. These events are endlessly choreographed beforehand and are renowned for their replete face-building pomp.

This seemed like an awkward, last minute, almost unplanned turn of events. I can't believe footage of it even made it out.

Brody wrote: ↑Mon Oct 24, 2022 6:44 am

Clutch Cargo wrote: ↑Mon Oct 24, 2022 6:04 am

Yeah, that was very bizarre. These events are endlessly choreographed beforehand and are renowned for their replete face-building pomp.

This seemed like an awkward, last minute, almost unplanned turn of events. I can't believe footage of it even made it out.

Truth is, the old codger pooped his pants and Xi ordered his immediate removal before the dream team were all asphyxiated.

Long read
5 Takeaways From China’s Big Leadership Announcement
The 20th Party Congress has closed, with Xi Jinping’s grip on power even tighter than expected.
By Shannon Tiezzi
October 24, 2022

After years of speculation, the 20th Party Congress has closed, and the new Central Committee elected the members of the Politburo Standing Committee, the men who will rule China for the next five years. Xi Jinping, of course, is the ultimate ruler; he is joined on the PSC by Li Qiang (presumed to be the next premier, although that won’t be official until the National People’s Congress session in March 2023); Zhao Leji (presumed chair of the National People’s Congress, to be announced in March); Wang Huning (presumed chair of the CPPCC, also to be announced in March), Cai Qi (leader of the CCP’s Central Secretariat); Ding Xuexiang (presumed executive vice premier, to be announced in March), and Li Xi (head of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection).

Before the Party Congress, I highlighted five things to watch for in the leadership selection. Let’s take a deeper look at those points to see what the new leadership slate means for China and Chinese politics moving forward. As a refresher, the PSC (seven members) is at the top of the leadership pyramid, followed by the Politburo (24 members) and then the Central Committee (205 full members).
Read on: https://thediplomat.com/2022/10/5-takea ... ouncement/

Clutch Cargo wrote: ↑Mon Oct 24, 2022 6:04 am When an ex-President is no longer welcome at the pow wow and escorted out..


An opinion on the above incident, taken from The Diplomat article:

In fact, Hu Jintao, Xi’s predecessor as China’s top leader and the leader of the main rival political faction, was shockingly escorted offstage at the 20th Party Congress, in full view of journalists. China’s state news agency Xinhua explained later that Hu “was not feeling well,” so “his staff, for his health, accompanied him to a room next to the meeting venue for a rest.” (Notably, Xinhua posted the news, in English, on Twitter, which is banned in China; there was no formal statement published in Chinese.) But whether Hu was sick or the victim of a political purge, observers noted his staged removal seemed calculated for maximum humiliation.

Analysis
Was Hu Jintao’s removal from China’s 20th party congress suspicious or not?
Helen Davidson
in Taipei
Incident has split China watchers with some saying former leader was unwell and others it was political purge by Xi Jinping
Fri 28 Oct 2022 03.00 BST

After eight days of China’s most important political meeting, in which the autocratic leader Xi Jinping’s precedent-breaking third term was confirmed, belligerent foreign policy reaffirmed, and the leader of the world’s largest population and second-largest economy announced through the next five years, one question was on everyone’s lips: what on earth happened to Hu Jintao and where is he now?

The drama happened on Saturday morning. In a short window between foreign media being allowed into Beijing’s Great Hall and the start of the final public meeting of the 20th party congress, the former Chinese leader Hu was physically removed from his seat next to his successor, Xi, and out of the Great Hall of the People.

It was a shocking scene from the Chinese Communist party’s notoriously opaque political environment and an event so controlled that even the refilling of teacups was choreographed. It sparked immediate and occasionally wild guesswork, which continued throughout the week.

Devoid of explanation, the imagery easily lent itself to the narrative of Xi’s extraordinary power consolidation, the deck-clearing of potential adversaries, and his abandonment of his predecessors’ vision for the CCP.

“Some people are surprised by the abnormality that is Hu’s disorderly exit, at what should normally be a very highly choreographed and orderly event,” said Sung Wen-ti, a political scientist at Australia National University’s Centre on China in the World. “That abnormality fuels speculations.”
Full article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/ ... ous-or-not