All the president's men: Xi Jinping tells Communist Party's top echelon to unite behind him in thought and action
President’s address to Politburo Standing Committee part of an effort to bolster his authority, analysts say
In a rare move, the Communist Party has issued a clear-cut formal statement detailing party chief Xi Jinping’s rallying call for the Politburo Standing Committee to unite behind him in “thought and action”.
The call came just two weeks after Xi raised eyebrows by calling on the Politburo as a whole to align with the central leadership of the party, a phrase analysts interpreted as referring to Xi.
In a meeting with the seven-strong Standing Committee, the pinnacle of the party’s power, Xi said party leaders should have the political awareness to safeguard the authority of the party.
“[They should] be aligned with the central leadership of the party led by Xi in actions and thoughts,” according to a statement released by Xinhua late Thursday.
There is an unwritten rule that the so-called four departments of government – the party, the government, the legislature and political consultative body – are led by different Politburo Standing Committee members.
Premier Li Keqiang, for example, is in charge of the State Council, Zhang Dejiang heads the National People’s Congress and Yu Zhengsheng heads the top advisory body.
