In an interview with The Epoch Times on June 3, Wu Zuolai, a U.S.-based scholar and political commentator, offered a detailed analysis of what he sees as significant changes to Xi’s standing within the CCP.
According to Wu, Xi’s core leadership position has been notably weakened since the CCP’s Third Plenum meeting in July 2024, with a new internal counterweight emerging—led by reformist and moderate factions.
“There appears to be a temporary central group that has effectively sidelined Xi’s core authority,” Wu said.
He suggested that this reformist force likely draws strength from the political legacy of retired leaders such as Wen Jiabao and Hu Jintao, with support from select members of the Politburo and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the country’s top advisory body.
“Look at the ongoing personnel reshuffling—it’s coming from all directions, not just Xi’s loyalists. Together, they form a diverse network of internal checks and balances,” he noted. “Many of those he previously promoted have been removed, suggesting a systematic effort to dismantle the foundations of Xi’s long-term rule.”
Wu described the shift not as open defiance, but as a quiet rebalancing of power, driven by personnel changes and policy adjustments aimed at curbing Xi’s cult of personality and policy extremism.
It’s almost impossible to say if there’s anything to this report. But the systems Deng established 40 years ago were meant to prevent the emergence of one-man rule by another Mao-type figure. I guess it’s possible something like that is happening again.