Xi enshrined in constitution, signalling his dominance

Wang Qishan was not among the members of the new central committee announced today, ending speculation that retirement norms would be broken so that he could keep his position, possibly as a precursor to Xi himself staying on beyond 2022. But with Xi elevated on par with Mao in the Party’s Constitution, there is now little doubt that tomorrow’s appointments to the politburo and its standing committee will give Xi a tighter grip over policymaking. This will lead to faster implementation of planned reforms, though we still expect these to fall short of addressing China’s structural problems.