The Communist Party's central committee holds closed-door meetings to choose its 25-member Politburo - and within that number is the exclusive Politburo Standing Committee. The contemporary Politburo is now thought to be handpicked by outgoing Standing Committee members in consultation with retired top leaders and previous standing committee members. It comprised the top members of the Chinese government - including the future Chairman Mao, who became the Chinese leader in 1949.
The CCP formed the first Politburo Standing Committee in July 1928. We spoke to experts who told us more about the inner workings of the Communist Party, what true power means in China, and who wields it.Ĭhinese President Xi Jinping (R) arrives with Premier Li Keqiang (L) and members of the Politburo Standing Committee for a reception at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on the eve of China's National Day on September 30, 2021. We took a peek into Xi's inner circle and narrowed down the list of the top 12 most influential people surrounding Xi Jinping. But in the end, the Party can influence them to do what they want - it doesn't really work the other way round," Rana Mitter, a professor of history and modern Chinese politics at Oxford, told Insider. "Of course, they have huge resources and 'soft power' that comes from being admired as business executives. It was a potent reminder that while it's possible to reap huge financial rewards as a business leader in China, the CCP still wields the ultimate power. China had opened an antitrust investigation into Alibaba and shut down Ma's plans for an Ant Group IPO. Ma finally surfaced - much-chastened - in early 2021. Others assumed he was deliberately lying low. Some believed he'd been spirited away by the Chinese government to a detention camp. Ma, the founder of e-commerce and tech company Alibaba, enjoyed a charmed life of high-profile appearances and an overflowing bank account - Ma was reportedly worth $62 billion in 2020 at the height of his power, making him the richest man in China.īut in October 2020, he criticized China's financial regulatory system, suggesting that Chinese banks were crawling along behind the times, continuing to follow global rules that are part of "an old people's club." Perhaps no one knows that better than Jack Ma. Companies or individuals who seemingly rise too high and supersede the power and/or authority of the Party-state will be subjected to some form of punishment," Jennifer Hsu, a researcher of public opinion and foreign policy at the Lowy Institute, told Insider. "The government campaigns over the last year - whether focused on celebrities or education tutoring companies - demonstrate the Chinese Party-state is the final arbiter of power.
And the chess game itself goes on inside a highly impenetrable black box," Perry Link, an emeritus professor of East Asian studies at Princeton University, told CNN.Įxperts told Insider the Politburo - the highest decision-making body of the Chinese Communist Party - and its top members are the ones who are really in control in the country, despite the clout that high-profile Chinese billionaires seem to hold. "What people really think is opaque beneath the chess game that they play. Observers have intently watched China's displays of strength at its military parades looked into the tea leaves to predict China's line of succession post-Xi and scrutinized seating charts to suss out government officials' proximity to the pinnacle of power. Given the heavy censorship and control over state-linked media outlets in the country - it's nearly impossible to know what's really happening in China's halls of power. But the men who surround him also wield immense political clout. He may now rule for life and continue regulating the country of 1.4 billion people with a tight grip on military reform, cybersecurity, and internet censorship.Ĭhinese President Xi Jinping sits securely at the nexus of power in China. Having removed constitutional term limits on his role, Xi has positioned himself as the most powerful leader since Mao Zedong. The nexus of China's elite is often obscured by what appears to be the overwhelming control and centralization of power in Xi's hands. In a country where the succession of power has happened both slowly and deliberately, Li's retirement could kick off a fundamental shift in roles among China's most powerful government body - the Politburo Standing Committee - and lead to further consolidation of power under Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
That's because when the Chinese premier steps down from power in March 2023, a decision he confirmed in March, it will trigger a significant reshuffle in the upper echelons of the Chinese government. You may not have heard the name Li Keqiang before - but you likely soon will. Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders.
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