Xi Jinping’s consolidation of power in China has been a significant development since he assumed leadership in 2012. This has involved a multi-pronged approach, including a wide-ranging anti-corruption campaign, increased control over the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and the expansion of his influence over military and state institutions. The anti-corruption campaign, launched shortly after the 18th National Congress of the CCP in November 2012, has been described as the most extensive and systematic effort of its kind in the history of CCP governance. This campaign has targeted both high-ranking officials, referred to as “tigers,” and lower-level civil servants, or “flies.” By 2023, approximately 2.3 million government officials had been prosecuted as part of this initiative. While officially aimed at curbing corruption, analysts also view the campaign as a means for Xi Jinping to eliminate political rivals and ensure loyalty within the party and military. A crucial step in Xi Jinping’s power consolidation occurred in 2018 when the National People’s Congress voted to remove term limits on the Chinese presidency. This change paved the way for Xi to potentially remain in office beyond the traditional two-term limit, effectively allowing him to become president for life. His political ideology, known as “Xi Jinping Thought,” has also been enshrined in both the party and state constitutions, an honor not accorded to anyone since Mao Zedong. Under Xi Jinping, China’s political system has seen a shift from a more collective leadership model, which was emphasized during the Deng Xiaoping era, towards a more personalistic rule. Deng Xiaoping had introduced measures like fixed terms of office and term limits to prevent the overconcentration of power. However, Xi has systematically bent or broken these norms, leading to a more centralized authority. This includes a reversal of Deng’s efforts to separate party and government functions, with the party now strengthening its authority and fusing with the state. The purges have extended to the military, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), with numerous senior officers investigated and removed for corruption and disloyalty. Since 2012, Xi Jinping has repeatedly purged senior military leaders to root out corruption and remove political obstacles to his military modernization agenda. This has included the removal of high-ranking officials from the powerful Central Military Commission (CMC), the highest military leadership body. The scale of these purges has been extraordinary, with over 100 of the military’s seniormost officers removed since 2022-2023, representing approximately 52 percent of positions in the PLA leadership. These actions aim to ensure the military’s absolute loyalty to the party and to Xi Jinping himself.

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Xi Jinping's consolidation of power in China has been a significant development since he assumed leadership in 2012. This has involved a multi-pronged approach, including a wide-ranging anti-corruption campaign, increased control over the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and the expansion of his influence over military and state institutions. The anti-corruption campaign, launched shortly after the 18th National Congress of the CCP in November 2012, has been described as the most extensive and systematic effort of its kind in the history of CCP governance. This campaign has targeted both high-ranking officials, referred to as "tigers," and lower-level civil servants, or "flies." By 2023, approximately 2.3 million government officials had been prosecuted as part of this initiative. While officially aimed at curbing corruption, analysts also view the campaign as a means for Xi Jinping to eliminate political rivals and ensure loyalty within the party and military. A crucial step in Xi Jinping's power consolidation occurred in 2018 when the National People's Congress voted to remove term limits on the Chinese presidency. This change paved the way for Xi to potentially remain in office beyond the traditional two-term limit, effectively allowing him to become president for life. His political ideology, known as "Xi Jinping Thought," has also been enshrined in both the party and state constitutions, an honor not accorded to anyone since Mao Zedong. Under Xi Jinping, China's political system has seen a shift from a more collective leadership model, which was emphasized during the Deng Xiaoping era, towards a more personalistic rule. Deng Xiaoping had introduced measures like fixed terms of office and term limits to prevent the overconcentration of power. However, Xi has systematically bent or broken these norms, leading to a more centralized authority. This includes a reversal of Deng's efforts to separate party and government functions, with the party now strengthening its authority and fusing with the state. The purges have extended to the military, the People's Liberation Army (PLA), with numerous senior officers investigated and removed for corruption and disloyalty. Since 2012, Xi Jinping has repeatedly purged senior military leaders to root out corruption and remove political obstacles to his military modernization agenda. This has included the removal of high-ranking officials from the powerful Central Military Commission (CMC), the highest military leadership body. The scale of these purges has been extraordinary, with over 100 of the military's seniormost officers removed since 2022-2023, representing approximately 52 percent of positions in the PLA leadership. These actions aim to ensure the military's absolute loyalty to the party and to Xi Jinping himself.

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A key move in this consolidation was the 2018 abolition of presidential term limits, paving the way for Xi Jinping to potentially remain in office indefinitely, a shift from norms established after Deng Xiaoping.

Since Xi Jinping became General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 2012, China has experienced a significant centralization of power, often characterized by extensive political purges and a reassertion of party control. Shortly after taking office, Xi launched a far-reaching anti-corruption campaign, which has been the most extensive and systematic in the CCP’s history. This campaign has targeted officials at all levels, from high-ranking “tigers” to lower-level “flies,” with around 2.3 million government officials prosecuted by 2023. While presented as a drive against corruption, many analysts also view it as a tool for Xi to eliminate political rivals and ensure loyalty within the party and state institutions.

A pivotal moment in Xi’s consolidation of authority occurred in 2018 when China’s National People’s Congress voted to remove term limits for the presidency, allowing him to potentially remain in power beyond the traditional two terms. This move effectively dismantled a key institutional norm established by Deng Xiaoping after the Mao era to prevent the overconcentration of power. Furthermore, Xi’s political ideology, “Xi Jinping Thought,” has been incorporated

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