As Xi kicks off his third leadership term with more power than any leader since Mao Zedong, he faces a mountain of problems, from a dismal economy to his own COVID-19 policy that has backed China into a corner, and souring ties with the West.
TRAINING GROUND
The “faction” refers to officials in leadership roles in the Youth League, which recruits and trains some of China’s brightest, mainly high school and university students, traditionally acting as a feeder organisation for the party.
The Youth League’s budget has been cut from nearly 700 million yuan (US$96 million) in 2012, the year Xi assumed power, to about 260 million yuan in 2021, official data shows.
Membership has dropped to about 74 million over the same period from around 90 million.
China’s Communist Party has about 97 million members.
“As a party-led organization, the CYL has lost its clout as the place for grooming leaders,” said Dali Yang, a political scientist at the University of Chicago.
“But it has already been working hard to adapt to the changing political circumstances,” he said, adding that the Youth League had built a social media presence, appealing to nationalistic pride, and engaged in civic functions.
The Youth League has been active in attacking foreign brands accused of misbehaviour in China, such as false advertising.
Last year, Western journalists said they received death threats after its branch in the central province of Henan asked social media followers to report the whereabouts of a BBC reporter covering major floods there.
The Youth League did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.