alternatehistory.com

The Standing Committee of the Central Political Bureau (Politburo) of the Communist Party of China is the de facto leadership body of the People's Republic of China, consisting of anywhere between five and nine members of the senior party leadership. The Standing Committee's members are chosen from the 25 members of the Political Bureau (Politburo) at the start of each party congress (held every five years). After coming to power after Mao Zedong's death, Deng Xiaoping and other party leaders worked to prevent another consolidation of power in one member like had occurred under Mao, with disastrous consequences like the Great Leap Forward. Age-based retirement has resulted in a high level of turnover at each party congress, strengthening the role of the party over any individual, although former general secretaries such as Hu Jintao and Jiang Zemin have retained great influence over the party's internal politics and subsequently the selection of new members of the Politburo and Standing Committee.

The 19th Party Congress is due to be held in September 2017 and will likely see the retirement of President Li Changchun and two others (He Guoqiang & Zhang Dejian) as a result of age. It is widely expected that Premier Xi Jinping will succeed Li as president while Li Keqiang will takeover the premier's office, with at least one new member will be appointed to the Standing Committee. The two other members likely to be held over from the 18th Standing Committee (Li Yuanchao and Bo Xilai) are also likely to take higher positions in both the Communist Party hierarchy and in the state itself as their seniority increases.

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