Xi Attends Jiangsu Delegation Deliberation with Fewer Accompanying Senior Officials

CCP leaders National People’s Congress.

People News – According to CCP state media reports, on the afternoon of March 5, Xi Jinping, as per routine, attended the deliberation session of the Jiangsu delegation at the Third Session of the 14th National People’s Congress (NPC). The senior officials accompanying him included Politburo Standing Committee member and Director of the General Office of the CCP Central Committee, Cai Qi, as well as Mu Hong, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and Deputy Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Deepening Reform, responsible for daily operations. This arrangement is noticeably different from the past two years.

In March 2024, when Xi attended the Jiangsu delegation deliberation, he was accompanied not only by Cai Qi and Mu Hong but also by Jiang Xinzhi, another Vice Chairman of the CPPCC and Deputy Minister of the CCP Organization Department.

In March 2023, when Xi attended the same session, he was accompanied by two Politburo Standing Committee members, Cai Qi and Ding Xuexiang, as well as He Lifeng, who was then Vice Chairman of the CPPCC but was later appointed Vice Premier after the Two Sessions.

In contrast, in March 2022 and 2021, when Xi participated in the deliberation of the Inner Mongolia delegation, he was accompanied by Ding Xuexiang, who was then a Politburo member, Secretary of the Secretariat, and Director of the General Office of the CCP Central Committee, as well as He Lifeng, who was Vice Chairman of the CPPCC and Director of the National Development and Reform Commission at the time.

Looking further back, in March 2017, during Xi's first term, when he attended the Shanghai delegation deliberation, the accompanying senior officials were Li Zhanshu, then a Politburo member, Secretary of the Secretariat, and Director of the General Office of the CCP Central Committee; Wang Huning, then a Politburo member and Director of the Central Policy Research Office; and a Vice Chairman of the CPPCC.

During the Hu Jintao era, when he participated in his respective delegation's deliberations, he was typically accompanied by one Politburo member and one CPPCC Vice Chairman. For example, in March 2012, when Hu Jintao attended the Jiangsu delegation deliberation, he was accompanied by Li Yuanchao, then a Politburo member, Secretary of the Secretariat, and Minister of the Organization Department, as well as Wan Gang, then Vice Chairman of the CPPCC.

At least during the Hu-Wen era and Xi’s first two terms, when the CCP leader attended his delegation’s NPC deliberation, the accompanying officials were typically a Politburo member who was also a Secretary of the Secretariat and a Vice Chairman of the CPPCC—but no Politburo Standing Committee members.

However, after the 20th Party Congress in 2022, when Xi publicly had Hu Jintao escorted out of the venue and swiftly promoted his loyalists, Cai Qi and Ding Xuexiang, to the Politburo Standing Committee while replacing much of the Politburo with his own people, his power seemed to have reached its peak. To showcase his dominance, at the 2023 Two Sessions, Xi broke CCP norms again by bringing two Politburo Standing Committee members—Cai Qi and Ding Xuexiang—with him to the delegation deliberation.

At the time, analysts believed that Xi saw himself as fundamentally different from before. In the past, if all Politburo Standing Committee members attended delegation deliberations, it would indicate they were on equal footing. But when Xi attended his session with two Standing Committee members in tow, it was meant to distinguish his status from that of an ordinary Standing Committee member and emphasize his superior political position.

It is unclear whether this move provoked internal backlash within the CCP. By 2024, Xi was only accompanied by his trusted confidant Cai Qi, although another CPPCC Vice Chairman was added, making it one Standing Committee member and two CPPCC Vice Chairmen—still meant to highlight his status.

Strangely, at this year's Two Sessions, the officials accompanying Xi were reduced to just one CPPCC Vice Chairman and Cai Qi. Was this Xi’s voluntary decision? And what does it signify?

Since reports emerged in July last year that Xi suffered a stroke during the Third Plenary Session of the CCP Central Committee, rumors of his weakening power and internal CCP struggles have become increasingly frequent. In late February, independent commentator Cai Shenkun revealed bombshell claims that Xi had been completely stripped of his powers and that his departure was merely awaiting an official announcement—further evidence that Xi’s position is far from the image presented by relentless CCP propaganda.

Subsequently, on February 25, Xinhua News Agency released a report on a symposium for the publication of An Overview of the Important Thoughts on Party Building. The news revealed that the symposium had been downgraded—not organized by the CCP’s Central Propaganda Department as in the past, but instead by the "National Party Building Research Association," a subordinate organization under the CCP’s Organization Department. Moreover, no Politburo members or senior officials at the ministerial level attended the symposium, further underscoring the diminished status of the event and, by extension, Xi’s political standing.

Therefore, it is crucial not to take CCP propaganda at face value. The current situation likely reflects an effort by the CCP’s behind-the-scenes power brokers to avoid dramatic upheaval. On the one hand, they allow the propaganda apparatus to continue presenting Xi as being in control. On the other hand, they quietly reduce his political stature in subtle ways—such as decreasing the number of senior officials accompanying him to delegation deliberations. This is likely a signal. However, this situation cannot last indefinitely. If the CCP takes no major action during the Two Sessions, then the long-delayed Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CCP Central Committee will likely provide a definitive answer. 

(First published by People News)