China’s Politics Enter Turbulent Period as Xi Pushes for Control
Party probes and power games ramp up ahead of a landmark leadership congress next year
Photographer: Photographer: Xie Huanchi/Xinhua/Getty Images
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A police chief arrested after being accused of harboring “inflated political ambitions.” Another former top Chinese leader under scrutiny after a tennis star said he pressured her for sex. Rumors of an imminent war with Taiwan denied by state media.
These unusual events signal that China’s cut-throat politics -- most of which takes place behind closed doors -- is entering a dangerous period as top Communist Party leaders meet this week. The event, which wraps up on Thursday in Beijing, kicks off the closest thing President Xi Jinping has to a campaign season.