Exclusive | Wang Qishan still attending top Communist Party meetings and in line for China’s vice-presidency
Wang, 69, left the Politburo Standing Committee in the reshuffle at the party’s five-yearly national congress in October
Wang Qishan, China’s formidable former anti-corruption tsar, will continue to wield political influence in new Communist Party and state roles carved out for him by president and party chief Xi Jinping.
He has been given the rare privilege of attending meetings of the party’s supreme Politburo Standing Committee as a non-voting member, despite having stood down from the highest decision-making body in Chinese politics in October.
Meanwhile, he is also expected to be named vice-president – a less significant role in the Chinese hierarchy – at the annual session of the National People’s Congress, China’s legislature, in March, according to several sources.
Wang, 69, left the Politburo Standing Committee in the reshuffle at the party’s five-yearly national congress in October and has quit all party leadership roles.
There had been intense speculation before the reshuffle that Xi was considering circumventing informal retirement rules that require Politburo and Politburo Standing Committee members aged 68 or above at the time of a party congress to stand down. However, Xi ultimately respected the informal rules and leaned towards maintaining political continuity and stability when deciding the leadership line-up.
