The Chinese Communist Party (CPC) Congress scheduled for autumn 2027 could be one of the most delicate and significant in its history. President Xi Jinping will extend his power for a fourth five-year term and bring up an entire generation of younger cadres. They will be people born in the 1960s, roughly ten years younger than him, who will join the Standing Committee (five to seven people) or the Politburo (21-25 people).
In the three previous Congresses, Xi, who was born in 1953 and rose to power in 2012, had to navigate among officials his own age or older. He succeeded with clearly brilliant results. A Politburo composed of younger people who owe everything to him will further increase his clout in the country.
He has over a year to prepare, with no challengers on the horizon. He has completed an unprecedented purge of the military without any pushback from any party organization. The CPC was practically born out of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), and the military had always been the political kingmaker.
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