The CCP Lost Its Ability to Save Itself

As an insider familiar with the CCP’s inner workings, Cai Xia describes the outcome of the Fourth Plenum as a ‘balance of terror.’

Gen. Zhang Youxia, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, speaks at the opening of the Western Pacific Naval Symposium in Qingdao, China, on April 22, 2024. Zhang and Xi have diverged on significant policy issues in recent years, according to insiders. Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

Commentary

At the recently concluded Fourth Plenary Session, Chinese leader Xi Jinping retained all of his official titles—an outcome that surprised many China observers.