No obvious successor to Xi Jinping in Chinese Communist Party’s new leadership team
- His precedent-breaking third term as head of the party has also left the line of succession unclear
- The members of the new Politburo Standing Committee are unlikely to succeed Xi, who some observers believe wants to remain in power for some time to come
Xi, who has been confirmed for an unprecedented third five-year term as the party’s general secretary, did not promote an obvious successor at the end of his first term in 2017.
“The youngest member of the Standing Committee could be regarded as a potential successor, although he’s not ... someone officially recognised as a designated successor,” Chen Gang, an assistant director and senior research fellow at the National University of Singapore’s East Asian Institute, said, speaking before the line-up was confirmed.
“Back then everyone knew that Hu would step down in five years but now we know Xi will continue to rule the country for a long time. The scenario is quite different. You can see one [Standing Committee member] as a potential successor, but not the official one.”
According to state news agency Xinhua, the new hierarchy behind Xi is Li Qiang, 63, the probable next premier; Zhao Leji, 65; Wang Huning, 67; Cai Qi, 66; Ding Xuexiang, 60; and Li Xi, 66.