Top Ranks of the Communist Party Reshuffled, China’s Wealthy Speed Up to Flee

The first plenary session of the 20th Communist Party Congress closed on October 23, and Xi Jinping was successfully re-elected as General Secretary for a third term. Out of the remaining six members of the Politburo Standing Committee, the not-so-factional Zhao Leji and Xi’s close friend Wang Huning were re-elected. The other four new members are all Xi Jinping's most trusted former ministers. This shows that Xi Jinping has taken full control of the top leadership of the CCP.

Some commentators say that the new leadership is absolutely loyal to Xi Jinping and that they will walk the authoritarian path exactly as Xi Jinping wants. China will move towards a more totalitarian state than during the Mao era, comparable to North Korea and Iran. There are also comments saying that the new leadership lacks officials who know how to govern the country and its economic policies, that Xi Jinping wants to follow Mao's ultra-leftist economic approach, and that the current strict zeroing and prevention policies will continue, which will accelerate the collapse of the Chinese economy.

China's wealthy elite are working hard to speed up their "exit from the country," fearing not only that their money will be taken for “common prosperity” purposes by the authorities, but also worrying about their own safety.