Editor’s note for Wednesday, April 21, 2021
A note from the editor of today's The China Project Access newsletter.
My thoughts today:
What will happen when Xรญ Jรฌnpรญng ไน ่ฟๅนณ is gone? How will the Chinese government manage itself without the man who has made himself โchairman of everythingโ?
Richard McGregor and Jude Blanchette are two of the worldโs foremost interpreters of Chinese elite politics and they have collaborated on a report titled, โAfter Xi: Future Scenarios for Leadership Succession in Post-Xi Jinping Era.โ They lay out four scenarios and describe their likelihood and how they might play out:
- Orderly transition in 2022
- Xi prepares a succession plan to retire at 21st Party Congress in 2027 or the 22nd Party Congress in 2032
- Leadership challenge or coup
- Unexpected death or incapacitation
Read the whole thing here.
Our word of the day is Qรญn Gฤng ็งฆๅ, who looks set to be named Chinaโs ambassador to the United States.
โJeremy Goldkorn, Editor-in-Chief
