China's new Politburo: United only by loyalty to Xi Jinping

Fight for top positions looms as two dozen members share little connection

Chinese Communist Party Central Committee members hold a news conference on Oct. 24. The seven-member Politburo Standing Committee is at the top of the party hierarchy, followed by the Politburo then the much larger Central Committee. © Kyodo

YURI MOMOI, Nikkei Beijing bureau chief

October 29, 2022 03:27 JST

BEIJING -- When Chinese President Xi Jinping assembled a new Communist Party Politburo for his third term as the party leader, he picked loyalists from different phases of his career to make sure no particular group would become a dominant force.

This was to encourage competition for limited posts at the top and thus further foster loyalty to Xi. But the members' lack of connection to each other could lead to greater rivalry and infighting within the leadership.