March 4, 2023
1 min read

Xi consolidates power as Li Keqiang retires

Take the role of the premier, the person managing the world’s second-largest economy and, in theory, second only to Xi in the power structure.

The National People’s Congress, which starts this weekend, will be the symbolic culmination of Xi Jinping’s epic power grab, the media reported.

China’s leader has overhauled the Communist Party placing himself at the core and nobody else has even a remote chance of challenging him, BBC reported.

The starkest representation of this will be in the shift in personnel to be announced at the annual political meeting, a rubber-stamp session of nearly 3,000 delegates, BBC reported.

Take the role of the premier, the person managing the world’s second-largest economy and, in theory, second only to Xi in the power structure.

Outgoing premier Li Keqiang will take centre stage on day one. Then, at the end, a new premier, almost certainly Li Qiang, will occupy the limelight.

They’re two very different people, especially in terms of their loyalty to Xi, who started an upheaval a decade ago with his anti-corruption crackdown, cutting a swathe through the ranks of rival party factions, BBC reported.

Outgoing premier Li Keqiang

At last October’s Communist Party Congress, new appointments to the seven-man Politburo Standing Committee meant the most powerful group in the country now had only Xi loyalists.

At this gathering, it is the heads of various departments and ministerial positions which will be replaced. They are all expected to fall into the same camp.

“On the one hand this might mean Xi can really get things done with his new leadership but, on the other, there is a danger of him being stuck in an echo chamber,” an experienced business figure told the BBC.

If Li Qiang is indeed the new premier, sitting up there on the last day of the NPC, taking screened questions at the annual press event, it will have been a meteoric rise for him.

ALSO READ: ‘Tackling China defines next century’

Previous Story

Indian Navy Chief underscores need for maritime cooperation

Next Story

TTP: Pakistan in resettlement talks with Taliban

Latest from -Top News

India, US Step Up Trade Talks

The development comes in the backdrop of the new US ambassador Sergio Gor taking charge in the US embassy is New Delhi….reports Asian Lite News India and the United States are progressing

Lanka Marks Next Phase of Indian Housing Drive

Phases III and IV of the Indian Housing Project highlight India’s commitment to supporting and empowering Sri Lanka’s Indian-origin Tamil community….reports Asian Lite News Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Sunday

China’s Grab for Africa

China’s investments aim to strengthen its geopolitical influence and its high-tech manufacturing sector in Africa…reports Asian Lute News China is further consolidating its dominance in the rare earth elements sector by expanding

Pakistan Courts in Peril

The question now is whether Pakistan’s courts can continue to function as guardians of the law, or whether they will be reduced to instruments of control…reports Asian Lite News Pakistan judiciary’s independence
Go toTop

Don't Miss

Kinetic storm clouds gather over Indo-Pacific for Modi and Biden

There are many in the higher levels of policymaking in

Property presales in China hit 18-year low

Preselling a home is making it available for purchase before