While the name of General Secretary Xi is on the newly elected Central Committee at the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, there are no 4 names in the top management of the party, including Prime Minister Li Kiqiang.
The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CCP) held in Beijing concluded with the closing session held today.
At the meeting where the Central Committee, the highest governing body of the party, was elected, the work reports of the Central Committee and the Disciplinary Investigation Committee and the amendments to the Party Statutes were approved.
While President and Secretary General Xi Jinping took part in the newly elected Central Committee at the congress, it was noteworthy that 4 of the 7 members of the Standing Committee, which constitutes the top management of the party, were absent.
The names of Prime Minister Li Kiqiang, Chairman of the Chinese National People’s Congress (NCP) Li Dzhanchu, Chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Wang Yang and First Deputy Prime Minister Han Zingh were not included in the list of the new Central Committee.
The change, which is the harbinger of Xi’s third term, shows that the Chinese leader will continue on his way with new cadres.
Li Janshu and Han Cing, who were on the verge of retirement, were expected to leave the party leadership. Prime Minister Li Kiqiang will hand over his post next March due to the two-term limit stipulated in the Constitution for the premiership. There was talk backstage that Li would leave his duties in the party voluntarily. The 67-year-old Vang Yang, who was among the prime minister candidates, was expected to leave the administration if another candidate came to the fore.
The harbinger of Shi’s third period of power
According to the unwritten rule that has been applied in Chinese politics for nearly 30 years, if an executive turns 68 when the National Congress is held, it is not possible to be appointed to a new post or to maintain his current position. The retirement limit rule, summarized as “67 stays, 68 goes”, was not implemented for Xi, who was 69 years old at the date of the congress.
The fact that Xi’s name is on the Central Committee list indicates that the Chinese leader will be re-elected as the general secretary and maintain his power.
Apart from Secretary General Xi, CCP First Secretary Wang Huning, who is still a member of the Standing Committee, and Cao Leci, Chairman of the Central Discipline Review Committee, retained their place on the list.
The newly elected Central Committee will hold its first meeting tomorrow. The Committee will elect a 25-person Political Bureau and a 7-person Standing Committee. After the meeting, China’s new leaders will appear before the press.
Former leader Hu Cintao removed from the hall
In the closing session, it was seen that former Chinese President and General Secretary Hu Cintao was taken out for an unexplained reason, while the members of the press were taken to the hall, before Xi’s speech, after the Central Committee was elected.
It was seen that Hu, who was sitting to Xi’s left in the hall, was dissatisfied with the officials’ attempt to accompany him outside by holding his arm.
