How Xi Jinping made himself unchallengeable

"Before his elevation, Xi Jinping was regarded as someone who could compromise with everyone," said Joseph Fewsmith, an expert in Chinese elite politics at Boston University. "Loyalty to the party means the PLA is expected to carry out any and all orders to keep the party, and Xi in particular, in power." "In the last two years, Xi further purged career security officials who supported his rise to power in the first place," said Victor Shih, a political scientist at University of California, San Diego. It's debatable what exactly Xi Jinping Thought means, but that's not the point, analysts say - it's a power move. "Xi's thought is aimed primarily at strengthening Xi's own legitimacy and power above anyone else in the CCP and the country. It is part of a new personality cult that links up Xi not only to Mao but to the most glorious and successful Chinese emperors of yesteryear," says Jean-Pierre Cabestan, an emeritus professor of political science at Hong Kong Baptist University. In August, the Ministry of Education unveiled a plan to promote Xi Jinping Thought in the national curriculum. In 2019, a mobile app called Xuexi Qiangguo - literally translated into "Learn from Xi, Strengthen the country" - that includes quizzes on Xi Jinping Thought was launched.