While the US presidential and congressional elections loom on the horizon, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has just finished its Sixth Plenum of the 18th Party Congress. This plenum has left many with the feeling that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) primarily used it to consolidate his control of the party and its direction.
Certainly party discipline has been a salient issue, and one that is closely tied to Xi’s anti-corruption campaign. However, since Xi has held off naming any successor, loyalty to him looms even more prominently as a concern above any party ideology.