News Analysis
The shuffling and infighting in the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) top leadership circle is heating up further as the 18th National Congress approaches, and members are vying for a seat in the Politburo Standing Committee (PSC), the nine-member body that governs the country. But it looks like the elite group at the top of the Party’s hierarchy may be reduced to only seven, making for an interesting new political landscape.
The ousting of former Chongqing Party chief Bo Xilai has escalated the Party’s power struggle between the two main factions--Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao leading one side, and former Party head Jiang Zemin and domestic security chief Zhou Yongkang on the other side. Bo Xilai was a candidate for the PSC, chosen by Jiang to replace outgoing Zhou Yongkang at the Party’s 18th National Congress this fall. But this has now changed.
Chinese media are making lists and speculating who will become the next generation of PSC members. The South China Morning Post recently said that many people believe the removal of Bo has strengthened the power base of Party leader Hu Jintao and premier Wen Jiabao, and it is likely that their trusted allies will make the new list.
