Observer: No matter who climbs Beijing's ranks, Xi rules
For decades, Chinese journalist Ho Pin has made accurate predictions about who would ascend into the ranks of China's leadership
BEIJING (AP) — For decades, Ho Pin made accurate predictions about China’s next leadership line-up — no small feat, given the black-box nature of Beijing politics.
But now, days before the opening on Sunday of China’s most important political meeting in a decade, the New York-based journalist said there’s little point, given the power amassed by leader Xi Jinping.
“It’s not about who’s going to be in the Standing Committee any longer,” he said, referring to the handful of people who will be named to lead the ruling Communist Party for the next five years. “No matter who they are, they all have one thing in common: They all have to listen to Xi.”
It’s a sharp contrast from an earlier era, when jostling factions leaked salacious details to the foreign press, and a reflection of a consolidation of power that has swept away competitors and stifled internal dissent.
