Xi Jinping, one step away from consolidating his power at an important moment for China

China is heading this Sunday to the biggest event of its domestic policy; the 20th National Congress of the Communist Partya historic appointment that will introduce changes at the top of the Government and will allow the president of the Asian giant, Xi Jinping, to win a third term and consolidate his power in uncertain times for Beijing.

The one who has already been considered one of the most powerful Chinese leaders in decades, will thus kick off a congress that arrives at a challenging time, with a China that clings to its strict health policy to deal with the coronavirus and a geopolitical stance towards Russia that distances it from the West.

However, and with the approval of the party leadership, everything indicates that Xi will renew his mandate and he will not pass the baton to a possible successor, as has been common in the past when the head of state celebrated a decade in power.

The National Congress, the meeting that traces the master lines of the next five years of political, social, economic and cultural life of the country, takes place every five years and lasts approximately one week.

Generally held in October or November, it is attended by some 2,300 delegates pre-elected by party members and from all corners of the country, of whom only about a quarter are women, while 11% are from ethnic minorities.

There are three rings of power in this hierarchy: some 400 delegates are also members of the elite Central Committee, which in turn includes the 25 members of the Politburo, the decision-making body of the top leaders, and its Standing Committee, which is usually be formed by a number that ranges between five and nine high positions. Members of the Politburo are usually ethnic Han, the majority in China.

Although Xi is expected to be reappointed general secretary of the party, for practical purposes his third term as head of state will not be revalidated until the election is formalized. next march.

This year’s Congress presents another peculiarity. It will decide the future of the Prime Minister of the country, Li Keqiang, who has already announced his retirement but will also have to wait until March to definitively leave his post.

However, there are already speculations about the successionwith a list that includes names such as the chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, Wang Yang, 67, or Vice Prime Minister Hu Chunhua, 59.