Leadership shake-up signals Xi’s power play

BEIJING: A sudden leadership change in one of China’s biggest cities has highlighted President Xi Jinping’s ambition to consolidate his grip on power at an upcoming major political gathering, analysts say.

Former Xi aide Chen Miner was named Communist Party chief in Chongqing last weekend, abruptly replacing a politician who was once widely regarded as a contender for promotion to China’s top political body.

The shake-up in the southwestern megalopolis may signal that Xi is manoeuvering to stack the national leadership with his supporters at the Communist Party congress later this year.

During the meeting, Xi is widely expected to secure a second five year term, but what is less clear is who will depart or ascend to the Politburo standing committee, the group of seven politicians who run the world’s second largest economy.

Chen replaced Sun Zhengcai, a member of the 25-person Politburo who was once a favourite for promotion to the standing committee.

Chongqing, with a population exceeding 30 million, is best known to China watchers as the stronghold of Bo Xilai, the outspoken former official who became one of the highest-profile targets of Xi’s anti-corruption campaign.

Bo, who is now serving a life sentence, was rumoured to be part of a network plotting to stop Xi from assuming control of the party in 2012, and Sun was charged with erasing his influence on the city.

In February, party discipline inspectors publicly rebuked Sun for failing to get the job done, leaving his future in question. The city must “resolutely remove the bad impact” of Bo’s case, Chen told city officials shortly after the announcement of his promotion, according to the Chongqing Daily.

While no reason was given for the leadership switch, the South China Morning Post reported that Sun was under investigation by the Communist Party.