Economics
Xi's Iron Grip on Power Adds Pressure to Deliver on Reforms
- No successor promoted to China’s most powerful political body
- Xi has amassed enough power to rule China for decades more
China's Top Political Body Shows No Clear Successor
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A week of pageantry in Beijing ended with President Xi Jinping cementing his status as China’s strongest leader in decades. The question now is whether he’ll use that power to finally implement much-needed reforms.
Xi on Wednesday unveiled new leaders that included no clear successor to take over after his second term ends in 2022, disrupting norms that held for 25 years. Doing so leaves the door open for Xi to stay on and avoids the whirlwind of interest that comes with naming an heir, allowing his administration to focus on pressing challenges at home and abroad.