Signs of Xi Jinping’s Diminished Power Continue as CCP Faces Internal Turmoil Ahead of Key Meeting

Prolonged absences, sidelining of loyalists, and public criticism of Xi point to a wider power struggle within the CCP.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping (C) is applauded as he arrives at the closing session of the National Peoples Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on March 11, 2024. Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

News Analysis

As the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) approaches its Fourth Plenum—a key internal meeting amongst the Party’s top leadership later in the year—Chinese leader Xi Jinping is grappling with an unprecedented power crisis, marked by unusual absences and the sidelining of his key allies, signaling a potential shift in China’s political landscape.

Reduced Entourage and Symbolic Downgrade

Xi vanished from public view for two weeks from May 21 to June 3, an unusual hiatus for the CCP leader. Prior to that, during Xi’s inspection in Henan Province from May 19 to 20, the first-ranking member of the CCP’s Politburo, Cai Qi, was absent, which was a departure from the CCP’s normal protocols.