Recently, the Chinese Communist Party held a rare Politburo meeting to review the “Regulations on the Work of the Central Decision-Making and Coordinating Institutions.” Pro-Beijing Hong Kong media cited analysts as suggesting that this regulation might indicate that Xi Jinping will delegate more power or prepare for his retirement.
Since coming to power, Xi Jinping has established several committees or leading groups at the central level, with himself serving as the director or team leader, effectively sidelining the functions of the Politburo Standing Committee and the State Council of the CPC. He has thus been dubbed by foreign media as the “Chairman of Everything.” The original “groups” under these institutions have mostly been renamed as “committees.”
On June 30, the Chinese Communist Party’s Politburo held a meeting to deliberate on the “Regulations on the Work of the Central Decision-Making and Coordinating Institutions.” The meeting claimed that the establishment of this institution aims to “strengthen the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee on major work and promote the implementation of major tasks,” emphasizing the principles of “coordination without replacing, and staying within one’s designated responsibilities.”
According to Chinese state media reports, the new regulations are intended to standardize the policy coordination and review process among high-ranking officials, with a focus on “planning, discussion, and inspection of major matters” within these institutions.
Pro-Beijing Hong Kong media, South China Morning Post, reported on July 6 that the new regulations are aimed at standardizing the decision-making processes of certain Communist Party institutions, suggesting that the CPC is working to regulate its decision-making processes. Observers suggest that Xi Jinping may be delegating more power.
The report quoted a Chinese political analyst who wished to remain anonymous, saying that the regulations within these party institutions might imply preparations for Xi Jinping’s retirement. The formulation of these rules may be aimed at regulating these institutions, as it is a crucial moment for power transition.
However, the report also mentioned that other observers deny that the latest regulations are for preparing Xi Jinping’s retirement, suggesting that Xi might be gradually transferring power, particularly concerning his three most important titles: General Secretary, Chairman of the Central Military Commission, and President of the country, which do not have term limits. One observer believes that Xi is more focused on saving energy for long-term strategic priorities rather than preparing for retirement.