Xinhua reported on December 4, that the General Office of the Party Central Committee has issued an outline of the 2019-2023 national plan for the construction of leadership groups in Party and state organs. The plan ensures that leading cadres are “firm believers and faithful practitioners” of Xi Jinping Thought. This will be done by testing leaders during inspections on how well they have carried out central policies and instructions by Xi Jinping. The plan also gives some guidance on methods to ensure the next generation of cadres is highly qualified and stipulates: (i) Cadres working their way up from the bottom should be highly valued; (ii)  Leadership teams should be composed of cadres with different backgrounds, ensuring that those with more experience can deal with the more sophisticated issues; and (iii) Leadership groups in all Party and state bodies will be required to have a certain number of young cadres.

 

(Comment: This plan lays the groundwork for identifying candidates for key Party and state positions in 2023 – when the next government reshuffle will get underway (on the heels of the 20th Party Congress in late 2022).)