What does this section of the article explain in the sequence of events that Xi used to make himself the undisputed authoritarian ruler of China? Discuss each section
What does this section of the article explain in the sequence of events that Xi used to
make himself the undisputed authoritarian ruler of China? Discuss each section
Loyalty Comes First:
After securing the gun barrel, it is essential to bring the knife - the internal security apparatus - under total control.
Two years after Mr Xi came to power, authorities confirmed the arrest of a "tiger", former domestic security chief Zhou Yongkang, for corruption. He was closely linked with Bo Xilai, another "princeling" who was a rival of Mr Xi's.
The investigation sent political shockwaves as it shattered the unspoken rule that members of the Politburo Standing Committee, the most powerful decision-making body, would not be subject to criminal punishment.
"Xi Jinping turned out to be a ruthlessly brilliant politician who patiently rose through the system before seizing his moment to rule," said Neil Thomas, a senior China analyst of Eurasia Group.
"The communist party elders who supported Xi's rise were likely surprised by the speed and scale of his power grab."
Observers say Mr Xi's signature anti-corruption campaign is also used to remove his political rivals and other factions within the party.
In the past decade, more than 4.7 million people have been investigated by anti-corruption authorities.
"In the last two years, Xi further purged career security officials who supported his rise to power in the first place," said Victor Shih, a political scientist at University of California, San Diego.
"Now the security agencies are run almost exclusively by officials who shared a past history with Xi and who are presumably trusted by him."
Mr Xi has also stacked his loyalists at important regional posts, such as the party secretaries of key cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Chongqing.
These positions are are important because they are responsible for "interpreting and implementing central directives in localities with millions of people", said Mr Thomas.
At least 24 of the 31 provincial-level party secretaries are political associates of Xi, having previously known his family, studied with him, worked under him, or worked for one of his close allies, Mr Thomas says.
Meanwhile nearly all of the 281 standing committee members in provincial standing committees were promoted by Mr Xi, according to data compiled by Wu Guoguang, a politics professor at the University of Victoria in Canada.
Xi Jinping is a Chinese politician. He became the President of the People's Republic of China in the year, 2013, and has been serving as the president of the nation since then. He has also been serving as the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) since the year, 2012.
The given excerpt is taken from the article, "How Xi Jinping has made himself unchallengeable," written by Grace Tsoi and Sylvia Chang for BBC News Worldwide.
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