Rumor: Xi Jinping Will Not Have a Fourth Term — Timetable for Stepping Down Already Set

On August 7, a man in Kunming, Yunnan, publicly displayed a banner that said ' Xi Jinping Step Down' (Video Screenshot)

[People News] Media figure Jiang Wangzheng has revealed that Xi Jinping will not serve a fourth term. According to him, Xi’s departure has already been arranged: Third Plenum – transfer power; Fourth Plenum – vanish; Fifth Plenum – shed titles; Sixth Plenum – retire. After the Third Plenum, Xi will gradually hand over authority to Li Qiang; before the Fourth Plenum even convenes, he will disappear from public view; at the Fifth Plenum, he will give up some positions; and around the Sixth Plenum, he will step down entirely.

1. Who Will Take Over?

Overseas commentator Du Wen believes that, in terms of age, Ding Xuexiang is the most qualified successor. Here’s an age breakdown of Politburo members:

Xi Jinping — Born 15 June 1953, 72 years old this year; in 2027 will be 74, holding top Party, state, and military power.

Li Qiang — Born 23 July 1959, 66 this year; 68 in 2027, currently heading the State Council. Rumoured successor.

Zhao Leji — Born 8 March 1957, 68 this year; 70 in 2027, head of the National People’s Congress. Nearing retirement.

Wang Huning — Born 6 October 1955, 69 this year; 71 in 2027, in charge of the CPPCC and United Front work. Nearing retirement.

Cai Qi — Born 5 December 1955, 69 this year; 71 in 2027, in charge of the Party Secretariat and the Central Office, overseeing propaganda. Rumoured successor.

Ding Xuexiang — Born 13 September 1962, 62 this year; 64 in 2027, ranked second as Vice Premier of the State Council. Rumoured successor.

Li Xi — Born 16 October 1956, 68 this year; 70 in 2027, head of the CCDI, an official executioner above the law.

Jiang Wangzheng believes that after internal negotiations, the successor acceptable to all factions is Li Qiang. Age norms were already broken at the 20th Party Congress by Xi. Jiang argues that Ding Xuexiang, as Vice Premier, would at most advance to Premier, and thus cannot become General Secretary.

He further claims that recent senior personnel reshuffles were orchestrated by Shi Taifeng to help Li Qiang plant loyalists in the Party’s core leadership.

Public records show that from 2011 to 2017, Li Qiang and Shi Taifeng both worked in Jiangsu Province, with Shi succeeding Li as governor — evidence of a close relationship.

According to Jiang, Ding Xuexiang is not actually a Xi loyalist. While he did work with Xi in Shanghai as Organisation Department head, his true patrons may come from the Jiang Zemin faction. When he served as Deputy Director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee, Hu Jintao was General Secretary — meaning this promotion likely came with Hu’s support, not Xi’s. During the public removal of Hu Jintao from the 20th Party Congress, Ding Xuexiang and Zhao Leji were among the few top leaders who dared to watch Hu leave.

Xi’s lack of a fourth term, Jiang claims, may be linked to the strong presence of anti-Xi forces.

2. Zeng Qinghong Sends Xi a Letter of Discontent

Jiang Wangzheng also claims that during the recent Beidaihe meetings, Zeng Qinghong, on behalf of veteran cadres, sent a letter via Cai Qi to Xi Jinping. The letter reportedly voiced three grievances from the “Elders’ Party”: 1. The fixed quota of top posts reserved for the elders’ children has disappeared, and their offspring are no longer being placed in positions of power. 2. Old subordinates and secretaries of the elders, once discovered by Xi, are purged. 3. In anti-corruption cases, previously, the elders could get someone spared by sending a note; such “protection” no longer exists. This is seen as a sign of unequal power distribution between the elders and Xi. Jiang believes this conflict will not topple Xi’s rule, but it reveals friction.

3. The Australia Yang Lanlan Incident Could Be Zeng’s Revenge

At around 3:30 a.m. on July 26, a Rolls-Royce collided head-on with a Mercedes-Benz in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.

According to a statement from the New South Wales Police, the 52-year-old Mercedes driver was seriously injured and hospitalised. The Rolls-Royce was driven by a 23-year-old woman.

Police say she tested positive in a roadside breath test, then refused a second test. She was granted conditional bail pending court. The Daily Mail reported she also owns a Rolls-Royce Ghost Convertible and lives in a penthouse overlooking the Sydney Opera House.

The incident continued to gain attention due to her wealth. Rumours claimed she immediately posted AUD 70 million (approx. RMB 327 million) in bail, and that she has deposits of over AUD 270 billion (approx. RMB 1.26 trillion).

Strangely, while netizens were digging into her identity, the Australian government appeared to help conceal it. One of Yang’s bodyguards was identified by netizens as a Zhongnanhai guard, but posts about her were deleted through CCP cross-border enforcement. Commentator “Qiqi Baba” noted that the last person able to do this was Xi Jinping himself, making Yang almost certainly part of the Xi family.

But some analysts asked: If Yang had both a driver and bodyguards, why was she driving alone late at night? What had she been drinking? Was she set up to drive against traffic and cause the crash?

People linked Yang’s crash to the Ling Gu incident, viewing it as a carefully orchestrated political move. From the crash, to the prolonged hype, to the unveiling of her identity — it would be unlikely without a mastermind.

Former Yiho Capital figure Wang Jizhou once revealed that Zeng Qinghong’s son, Zeng Wei, has settled in Australia and is actively recruiting, with intentions to return to China to regain influence. Combined with Jiang’s claim about Zeng’s letter to Xi, it is possible that Zeng used the Australian “Xi family member” to pressure Xi into compliance.

4. Liu Jianchao Taken Away — Possibly Linked to Leaks on CCP Power Struggle

In July, Asia Sentinel reported that Xi Jinping might be gradually losing power. The outlet claimed the information came from a reliable source — an insider CCP official. The key indicator of Xi’s declining grip, they said, was the U.S.–China tariff negotiations in the UK: whoever was in charge of such a major issue would likely be the 21st Party Congress successor. Analysts identified Li Qiang as the behind-the-scenes negotiator, matching Jiang’s account that Xi began transferring power after the Third Plenum, with Li as successor.

The critical question: who told the U.S. about these internal CCP dynamics? Only ministerial-level officials would have access to such details. Public records show that from June 8–10, then-head of the CCP International Department, Liu Jianchao, visited the UK.

A likely reason for Liu siding with the U.S., analysts say, was Xi’s promotion of Qin Gang to Foreign Minister — blocking Liu’s path to that position and breeding resentment.

5. South China Sea Collision Between Coast Guard Ship and Destroyer — A Move to Force Xi to Step Down?

Commentator Su Xiaohe says he received information that the August 11 collision between a Chinese navy warship and a China Coast Guard vessel — while both were pursuing a Philippine patrol boat — was no accident, but a deliberate setup.

The Philippine interpretation: a Chinese Coast Guard ship sped toward their patrol vessel, but a massive Chinese warship cut across in front and slammed into the Coast Guard ship with a loud crash.

On Toutiao, China Coast Guard spokesperson Gan Yu claimed: “On August 11, the China Coast Guard lawfully took necessary measures such as shadowing, intercepting, and controlling to expel the Philippine vessel; operations were professional, standardised, legitimate, and lawful.”

Whether it was the Coast Guard’s dangerous manoeuvring or the warship’s sudden crossing, the incident shows a lack of coordination within China’s forces. Su analysed that the Coast Guard falls under the Ministry of Public Security, representing Xi’s camp, while the warship belongs to the military, representing Zhang Youxia’s anti-Xi camp. This incident was a warning from the military to Xi: step down, or face serious consequences.

Whether Xi steps down voluntarily or is forced out, major changes are likely at the 21st Party Congress. Whether he will retire completely or remain behind the scenes to direct a Taiwan invasion remains unclear.

(First published by People News) △