The Chinese Communist Party is set to select a new Standing Committee of the 25-member Politburo of its ~370-member Central Committee at a meeting that will be held right after the 20th Party Congress, likely in October or November 2022. This Politburo Standing Committee (PBSC) is the country’s top leadership group. It usually has seven members, although its membership has varied from five to nine in the post-Mao era.
Chen Min’er is tipped by some analysts as a major figure in the next generation of Chinese political leaders. He turns 62 in 2022 and so will be young enough to serve two PBSC terms under prevailing norms. He sits on the Politburo as Party Secretary of Chongqing, a position that was a launching pad for many former PBSC leaders. And he is seen as a protégé of Xi (who often promotes people he knows personally), having worked as director of the provincial propaganda department when Xi was Zhejiang Party Secretary from 2002-2007. But Chen will have to compete with other hopefuls and avoid any impression that he poses a threat to Xi’s authority.
Aug 20, 7:20am:
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3.00China's Communist Party names 7-member Standing Committee, its inner circle of power, dominated by Xi allies. On Sunday, following the first meeting of the party’s new Central Committee, six men in addition to Xi were selected to be members of the Politburo Standing Committee, China’s top ruling body:
Li Qiang
Zhao Leji
Wang Huning
Cai Qi
Ding Xuexiang
Li Xi
They now compose the Politburo Standing Committee, China’s most powerful decision-making body, and will sit atop of the party to drive the world’s second-largest economy over the coming half decade. BBC Live Stream.
