Starting this Sunday, the Communist Party will meet in Beijing to determine its leadership for the next five years. It is taken for granted that Secretary-General Xi Jinping will secure a third term. Seven major challenges will shape his rule – from Covid to Taiwan to confrontation with the US.
For outsiders, Chinese party politics is traditionally a closed book. Every five years, the delegates meet in Beijing to appoint their leaders – and thus set the course for the future. In contrast to democratic systems, however, there is almost never anything public that would provide information about internal party debates or even disputes about the political course. The party demonstrates unity – and does its best to conceal its internal fractures.