Mao Zedong’s grandson among the ‘princelings’ not invited to China’s party congress
Mao Xinyu one of five senior military figures with familial ties to former leaders excluded from October event
A grandson of Mao Zedong is among the “princelings” from China’s People’s Liberation Army who have not been invited to the upcoming 19th party congress.
Major General Mao Xinyu is one of five senior military figures descended from or with close family ties to revolutionary generals or former state leaders who will miss out on China’s most important political event, which is held just once every five years. As the congress also provides a platform for the party to announce its new leadership line-up, those who do not attend are effectively ruled out of any future promotions within the military.
Where once a familial link to a former leader was almost a guarantee of a seat at one of China’s top tables, under the leadership of President Xi Jinping – who is also chairman of the Central Military Commission – such associations would appear to carry less weight.
However, Macau-based military watcher Anthony Wong Dong suggested that while the absence of so many princelings from the delegates list was notable, it did not necessarily mean that Xi was seeking to sever dynastic threads, but rather that he did not know enough about the people concerned to trust them with key roles.
“Rather than deliberately suppressing [the influence] of the descendants of party veterans, Xi might simply think they are not reliable enough, or that they don’t have the right skills to lead the army.”