President Xi Jinping appraises China’s top leaders in another first for all-powerful party chief
Newly inaugurated annual review sees Politburo members assessed on performance, loyalty to the party
After successfully doing away with presidential term limits, Xi Jinping has achieved another first, by becoming the first head of China’s Communist Party to conduct end-of-year appraisals for all 24 members of its Politburo.
According to a report published by Xinhua on Wednesday, the country’s most powerful people were recently measured against seven criteria, including their support for Xi’s authority, their readiness to learn and promote his political thought, and their initiative in reporting matters of importance.
They were also assessed on their adherence to party rules, openness to self-criticism, implementation of the central leadership’s decisions, and willingness to conduct research into issues of public concern.
Each member of the Politburo – China’s top decision-making body – was required to submit a written report to Xi in what is expected to become an annual event. The decision to implement the new procedure was agreed soon after the national party congress in October.
“Xi Jinping read the reports from the Politburo comrades and issued important demands to [them],” the Xinhua report said. “Xi stressed that [they] … shoulder huge responsibility as leaders.”
