China’s Xi pulls off one of the all-time power moves

News

Chinese President Xi Jinping wrapped up the People’s Congress with a power move that vanquished his rivals and humiliated his predecessor.

The moves leave no doubt that he personally consolidated power at the event, which takes place every 5 years. It was already widely expected that he would be confirmed for another 5-year term — his third — but there were questions about how much influence reformists promoted by predecessor Hu Jintao would retain.

The answer: Virutally none.

Rivals Li Keqiang and Wang Yan were left off the policy setting Central Committee and ushered into retirement. But the coup-de-grace was a humiliating exit of Hu. There have long been reports that the 79-year-old Hu is in poor health, possibly suffereing from dementia, but to wait until after media were invited in only to escort him out was surely a power move.

Watch for yourself:


As Iam Bremmer put it, here is the message:

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