Toward Xi’s third term: China’s 20th Party Congress and beyond

As the world looks ahead to China’s 20th Party Congress in late 2022, many questions remain about the future makeup of the top echelon of Chinese leadership. As Chinese leaders confront a year of unknowns ahead — from the deterioration of U.S.-China relations to economic structural changes — any move could affect the outcome of the leadership change. Having led the country for almost a decade, Xi has undertaken unprecedented campaigns to fight corruption, reform the military, and eliminate poverty. But what plans, priorities, and challenges lie ahead for his anticipated third term? Will this round of leadership change reveal the future process of political succession? How will factional politics and new elite groups play into the selection of the next generation of leaders?

On Thursday, January 20, the John L. Thornton China Center at Brookings hosted two panel discussions featuring top China scholars, who discussed the evolution of norms in Chinese elite politics, predictions of the outcomes of the 20th Party Congress, and what the future holds for Xi Jinping. Viewers submitted questions via email to [email protected] or on Twitter using #20thPartyCongress.

Agenda

January 20
- Opening remarks
  
  Suzanne Maloney Vice President and Director - Foreign Policy @MaloneySuzanne
- Panel discussion: Perceptions and realities of Chinese elite politics
  
  Moderator
  
  Deborah Lehr Vice Chairman and Executive Director - Paulson Institute @DMLehr
  
  Discussant
  
  Cheng Li Director - John L. Thornton China Center, Senior Fellow - Foreign Policy, John L. Thornton China Center
  
  Andrew Mertha Professor and Director, China Studies Program; Director, China Global Research Center - Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies
  
  Alice Miller Research Fellow - The Hoover Institution, Lecturer in East Asian Studies - Stanford University
  
  Anthony Saich Professor of International Affairs and Director, Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation - Harvard Kennedy School
- Panel discussion: Xi Jinping’s past, present and future
  
  Moderator
  
  Ryan Hass Senior Fellow - Foreign Policy, Center for Asia Policy Studies, John L. Thornton China Center, Chen-Fu and Cecilia Yen Koo Chair in Taiwan Studies, The Michael H. Armacost Chair @ryanl_hass
  
  Discussant
  
  Susan Lawrence Specialist in Asian Affairs - Congressional Research Service
  
  Yawei Liu Senior Advisor on China - The Carter Center
  
  David Shambaugh Gaston Sigur Professor of Asian Studies, Political Science & International Affairs; Director of the China Policy Program - Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University
  
  Joseph Torigian Assistant Professor, School of International Service - American University @JosephTorigian