Xi's lack of succession planning risks China's long-term governance

Delay in elevating younger cadres may result in rule by a Soviet-style aging elite

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Chinese President Xi Jinping attends a presentation ceremony of national medals and honorary titles at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing in September 2024. © Reuters

Andrei Lungu is president of the Romanian Institute for the Study of the Asia-Pacific in Bucharest.

Deng Xiaoping understood the importance of regularly renewing leadership with younger, well-prepared individuals. For the past four decades, China has methodically groomed the next generation of leaders. But that practice is now changing under Xi Jinping.

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