Communist Party rejig seen as Xi power move

Observers call reshuffle ahead of party plenum 'extremely rare'; meet to focus on economy

In an “extremely rare” reshuffle, more than half senior officials of China’s ruling Communist Party were removed or moved to new positions as it kicked off a four-day meet today to chart a blueprint for next five years to halt the slide of the world’s second-largest economy.

The meeting, called the Fifth Plenum and held every three years to review functioning of the Communist Party of China (CPC), is happening for the first time since 62-year-old Xi Jinping took over as president in March 2013.

Over half of Central Committee members, elected during the 18th National Congress in 2012, have been moved to different positions or removed from their current jobs ahead of CPC’s fifth plenary session, state-run Global Times reported on Monday.

According to the report, the reshuffle is “extremely rare” in the history of the CPC, a result, said observers of the anti-graft campaign, which has been of unprecedented severity, and to guarantee a solid start to China’s new five-year blueprint amid a slowing economy.

A WeChat account of Beijing’s Party organ newspaper, the Beijing Daily, revealed that a total of 104 out of the 205 CPC Central Committee members have been promoted, demoted or expelled from their positions since 2012.

The purge is seen as an effort by Xi, who has emerged as the strongest leader since Deng Xiaoping, to consolidate his power on the Party, removing a number of old-guard leaders.

Xi, currently the CPC General-Secretary, President and Chief of the military, took over from Hu Jintao in Party’s 18th Congress in late 2012.

The meeting is being held in the backdrop of the biggest anti-corruption campaign by Xi, who is set to remain in power till 2022.

A number of top officials and thousands of middle and lower-rung officials, including former National Security chief Zhou Yangkong, have been punished. Over 40 military officials also faced investigations in the unprecedented campaign. Discussion of the 13th Five-Year Plan is on the agenda of the plenary session, which will be presided over by Xi.

The plenary meeting mainly review proposals for a new five-year plan for the country’s national economic and social development from 2016-2020, state-run Xinhua news agency reported amid speculation that the government may cut down the GDP target from 7 per cent to 6.5 per cent.

Like previous five-year plans, a GDP growth target is likely to be included. Market estimates that the growth target for 2016-2020 will be put between 6.5 and 7 per cent, 0it said.

A final plan, after taking into account these proposals, will be formally ratified by the annual session of China’s national legislature, the National People’s Congress (NPC) in March next year before taking effect.