A new road map for Xi's political future

Chinese leaders stress macro-economic stability as the Party Congress draws near, but their strategy is riddled with contradictions

The 20th Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) is slated to be held towards the latter part of next year. The Congress will decide whether President Xi Jinping will get another five-year term as the country’s top leader. Several other top leaders are due to retire and it is expected that Mr Xi will bring in replacements from his own faction to consolidate his position. Mr Xi does not want to risk any political or economic crisis disrupting the smooth passage to the Congress and complicating his bid to remain in office.

It is against this background that one