NewDid Xi Jinping bypass Zhou Yongkang in his 'consultation' with retired Party leaders?

President Xi Jinping has consulted with almost all retired Communist Party leaders on his current anti-graft campaign, state-media said, raising speculation on which ones he chose not to confer with.

There are at least 19 retired Politburo members still living, and Xi consulted 17 of them on how to pursue his campaign against graft, Xinhua news agency said.

One of the retired elders, former security zsar Zhou Yongkang, is understood to be the target of a graft investigation – the highest-profile corruption inquiry in decades.

The report did not name the elders Xi had consulted. 

These consultations preceded an extraordinary meeting by the current Politburo on “four styles” – the party-speak for lean and efficient governance – from June 22 to June 25, which included criticism and self-criticism.

Xi had consulted the elders prior to the meeting, the report said.