China’s President Xi Jinping (C) gestures throughout the closing ceremony of the twentieth Chinese Communist Party’s Congress on the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Oct. 22, 2022.
Noel Celis | AFP | Getty Images
BEIJING — China announced Saturday its recent central committee would come with many known allies of Chinese President Xi Jinping, while several officials with more market-leaning tendencies weren’t on the list.
That central committee then goes on to find out the core leadership — the Politburo and its standing committee. Names for those core positions are due out midday Sunday Beijing time, in response to state media.
4 of the present seven members of the Politburo standing committee weren’t on the list. The one three who remained were Xi, Wang Huning — known for his work on ideology — and Zhao Leji — current head of party discipline.
Li Qiang, Shanghai’s party secretary, and his Beijing counterpart Cai Qi remained on the central committee list.
Asia Society Policy Institute’s Center for China Evaluation called Li Qiang Xi’s protege. Other Xi loyalists the Asia Society had identified were included within the list of recent central committee members.
- Ding Xuexiang — Politburo member and “essentially Xi’s Chief of Staff, in addition to accountable for his personal security, meaning he’s amongst Xi’s most trusted circle,” the Asia Society report said.
- Chen Min’er — Politburo member and party secretary of the Chongqing municipality, a job he gained by Xi’s “abrupt ousting” of the prior secretary, Asia Society identified.
- Huang Kunming — Politburo member and head of China’s propaganda department, who worked closely with Xi within the provinces of Fujian and Zhejiang, the report said.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi remained on the brand new list, despite expectations he might retire and leave room for a shift in China’s foreign policy, which has turned increasingly aggressive.
Qin Gang, China’s ambassador to the U.S., was also on the brand new list.
Hu Chunhua, one other favorite for the premier role, remained on the list. Hu has close ties to Xi’s predecessor Hu Jintao. Promoting him would signal “leadership unity” with Xi appointing people from outside his faction, Brookings senior fellow Cheng Li said at a chat earlier this month.
Hu Jintao was escorted out from his seat next to Xi throughout the closing ceremony of the party’s twentieth National Congress on Saturday, in response to reports and multiple eyewitnesses. It was unclear why he was unexpectedly ushered out.
China’s President Xi Jinping (R) talks to former president Hu Jintao as he’s ushered out from the closing ceremony of the twentieth Chinese Communist Party’s Congress on the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Oct. 22, 2022.
Noel Celis | AFP | Getty Images
Who was not noted
People’s Bank of China Governor Yi Gang was not on the list, while China Securities Regulatory Commission Chair Yi Huiman was.
Wang Yang, who is thought to be more market-oriented and a possible premier candidate, was not included in the brand new list of 205 members of the central committee of the Communist Party of China.
Li Keqiang, the outgoing premier, was not included either.
Liu He, a vice premier who led trade negotiations with the U.S., was not on the list.
Banking regulator Guo Shuqing was not on the brand new central committee list.
