Why Rumors About China’s Political Elite Won’t Stop
Speculation about the opaque inner workings of the Politburo has become an obsession.
China’s political elite are notoriously hard to read.
Photographer: Kevin Frayer/Getty Images
Any discussion about China’s political elite must begin with an important caveat: Hearsay about the inner workings of the Politburo has a long tradition of being wholly inaccurate. One of the most vivid examples was in 2011, when a Hong Kong television station mistakenly reported the demise of former Chinese president Jiang Zemin — 11 years before his actual death in 2022.
The intrigue over President Xi Jinping’s future is no less speculative. In many ways, it’s the result of a succession crisis of his own making. The lack of an heir or clear plan creates an uncertainty that is grist for the mill.