Xi Jinping's position is secure but growing gloom will have impact

Mounting economic worries could shape Communist Party congress discussion

Nathan Levine and Johanna Costigan

October 3, 2022 05:00 JST

20220930 Xi Jinping dinner reception.jpg

Xi Jinping attends a dinner reception on the eve of the National Day holiday in Beijing on Sept. 30: It remains unclear whether he will be able to pack the highest circles of party leadership with his allies. © AP

Nathan Levine is assistant director of the Center for China Analysis at the Asia Society Policy Institute in Washington. Johanna Costigan is a junior fellow at the center.

A week ago, Western social media platforms were flooded with lurid rumors that Chinese President Xi Jinping had been deposed in a coup.