Is Xi Jinping Losing Power in China?:Is Xi Jinping losing power in China? A series of quiet but powerful moves inside the Chinese Communist Party suggest the once-unchallenged leader may be facing internal pushback. New CCP regulations are shifting control away from Xi’s centralized model, empowering collective decision-making bodies and reviving dormant power structures. His unexpected absence from the BRICS summit, ongoing economic struggles, and purges of loyal generals are fueling speculation of a looming leadership transition or political restructuring. As China battles debt, global criticism, and slowing growth, signs are emerging that Xi’s iron grip may be slipping. This could mark the most significant internal political shake-up in China in decades.
Is Xi Jinping Losing Power in China? Signs of a Political Shift Inside the CCP
For over a decade, Xi Jinping has stood as the undisputed face of Chinese power—an unchallengeable strongman who steadily dismantled rivals, centralized authority, and shaped China’s future according to his vision. But now, a subtle yet seismic shift within the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) suggests that Xi’s era of unchecked control may be facing its most serious challenge yet.
In what analysts are calling a potential political earthquake, newly introduced CCP regulations have triggered intense speculation across global policy circles. These rules, quietly passed by the powerful Politburo, aim to “standardize decision-making and empower Party coordinative institutes.” On paper, they may sound like routine bureaucratic changes, but in reality, they touch the very nerve center of Xi’s long-standing grip on power.
Published through the state-run Xinhua News Agency, the regulations emphasize that various Party organs must now play a more active role in planning, deliberating, and overseeing major national policies—tasks that Xi has historically kept under his direct supervision.
The creation of a new “decision-making and deliberative coordination body” has especially alarmed observers. This is not just another advisory committee; it reportedly holds sweeping authority over state affairs, and some insiders suggest it effectively overrides Xi himself.
For years, Xi meticulously dismantled the traditional checks and balances of Chinese governance. He neutered the State Council’s authority, reshaped executive governance structures, and even removed term limits to pave the way for a lifelong presidency. But these new developments raise a critical question: Is Xi now choosing to delegate authority, or is he being forced to relinquish it?
Xi’s recent absence from the BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro—his first ever—added fuel to the speculation. Premier Li Qiang represented China instead, a notable departure from the norm. Observers believe this may not be a coincidence. Theories range from a calculated retreat to allow blame for China’s faltering economy to be spread more evenly, to internal power struggles that may be forcing Xi to the sidelines.
Economic turbulence is mounting. China’s once-booming housing market has crumbled, local governments are drowning in debt, and consumer confidence remains sluggish. The ongoing tariff war with the United States has further compounded economic challenges. Meanwhile, China’s controversial policy of exporting cheap goods is now under intense international scrutiny. In this environment, many Party insiders reportedly fear that the concentration of power in Xi’s hands has backfired, making him the sole face of a deteriorating situation.
One Chinese journalist claimed that for months, Xi has functioned more as a puppet, with unseen forces quietly steering the nation’s direction. Now, with the creation of the new coordination body, these power brokers are beginning to emerge from the shadows.
Adding to the intrigue, there are whispers that the CCP might be preparing to revive a high-level advisory committee—a body abolished in 1992 during the era of institutional reforms. If restored, this would mark a dramatic return to collective decision-making at the highest levels of the Party—an implicit admission that Xi’s hyper-centralized model may have run its course.
Further signs of internal discord include recent purges of top generals previously known for their loyalty to Xi. The moves suggest that trust within his inner circle may be eroding, further destabilizing the power structure he built.
Some analysts argue this could be the early phase of an orderly succession plan, possibly paving the way for Xi’s retirement by the next Party Congress in 2027, when he turns 75. Others warn that this could be a political maneuver designed to deflect blame without truly loosening the reins of control.
Regardless of the intent, the fact that the conversation has shifted from Xi’s omnipotence to speculation about his political future signals a fundamental change in Beijing’s power dynamics. The once ironclad image of Xi Jinping is beginning to show cracks.
Whether this is the start of a controlled transition or the prelude to internal turmoil remains to be seen. What is certain, however, is that the world must pay close attention. A shift in leadership dynamics in China is not just a domestic affair—it could reshape the global order.