Xi’s Next Power Play May Be Age Limits for Everyone But Himself
- Top leaders have observed age cap of 68 for two decades
- Chinese leader has already disrupted power transition norms
This article is for subscribers only.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is widely expected to defy the Communist Party’s retirement norms by clinching a landmark third term in power next month. The question is whether the 69-year-old will rewrite the rules for others -- or just himself.
The requirement that top leaders step down after age 68 has held without exception for two decades, according to a Bloomberg analysis of government data, even though party officials have dismissed the age limit as “folklore.” Hundreds of cadres have been forced to leave the party’s 200-plus member Central Committee in that time, allowing the next generation to take their seats.