While such disappearances are not unprecedented, intelligence sources told CNN-News18 that China has a history of sidelining prominent leaders, often reducing their operational authority to ceremonial roles.
Sources pointed to a decline in references to “Xi Jinping Thought” and the reappearance of previously ousted senior party members as signs of an internal power shift. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has previously marginalised three notable leaders using similar tactics—sidestepping formal dismissal in favour of quiet isolation, which appears to reflect a broader pattern in CCP leadership transitions.
Although the presidency in China is largely symbolic, Xi draws real authority from his roles as General Secretary of the Communist Party and Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC). However, sources suggest that the locus of power may now lie with General Zhang Youxia, First Vice Chairman of the CMC, who reportedly enjoys support from senior CCP figures aligned with former President Hu Jintao. Zhang, a senior general, also sits on the 24-member Politburo—the party’s main decision-making body.
Hu Jintao himself endured a very public slight in 2022, when he was unexpectedly escorted out of the CCP’s 20th Congress. This occurred after Li Zhanshu, then Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, withheld official documents from him, prompting Xi to call aides who eventually removed Hu from the meeting.
In the meantime, Wang Yang is reportedly being groomed as a reform-oriented successor to Xi. Wang, a prominent party figure, was seen as a top contender to become China’s Premier in 2022, according to CNN-News18, citing intelligence sources.
(Edited by : Ajay Vaishnav)
