All the President’s Men
Oct 27, 2022
On Oct 23, President Xi Jinping was elected as the General Secretary at the first plenary
session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC). He also
secured a team of close allies in all other six positions of the Standing Committee of the
Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, the power center of China (see tables
below).
Some commentators compiled a list of alias for the “powerful seven” according to the
connotation of the Chinese character of one’s given name. For example, “Peaceful” for Xi
Jinping, “Strong” for Li Qiang, “Happy” for Zhao Leji, “Calm” for Wang Huning,
“Wonderful” for Cai Qi, “Lucky” for Ding Xuexiang, and “Hopeful” for Li Xi.
With a team of trusted supporters, President Xi may concentrate more to solve the tough
domestic problems and meet the external challenges ahead. However, a force of check
and balance may also be called for to prevent or correct a possible bad decision.
