The Publication of Xi s Collection of Writings Requires Approval From the "Party Central Committee

Xi Jinping's greatest concern is protecting his family. (People News)

[People News] On August 17, both the official and military media of the Chinese Communist Party featured a headline about Xi Jinping. The news is that Xi's "On Upholding Comprehensive and Deepening Reform" Volumes 1 and 2 have recently been published by the Central Literature Publishing House and are now being distributed nationwide. Volume 1 is a reprint that includes 73 articles on reform written by Xi from December 2012 to December 2018, while Volume 2 contains 92 articles written by Xi from January 2019 to April 2025, with some of these articles being published for the first time.

There are two noteworthy points in this brief report. First, it mentions that the reprint has been "approved by the Party Central Committee." This indicates that the decision on whether Xi's writings can be reprinted or published is no longer made by Xi himself, but by the "Central Committee" that holds authority over him. In the author's recollection, there has not been such a statement in any reports regarding the publication of Xi's collections or discourses in at least the past five years. This suggests an undeniable weakening of Xi's position.

Second, there is no reference to the "Xi core." Prior to the Beidaihe meeting held in early August, the official media of the Communist Party would occasionally mention the "Xi core," including in discussions about the publication of Xi's selected writings and collections. For instance, on July 6, the official media reported that Volume 1 of "Xi Jinping's Ecological Civilisation Selected Writings" was recently published by the Central Literature Publishing House. The report noted that since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party, the "Party Central Committee with Xi as the core" has approached issues from the perspective of sustainable development for the Chinese nation...

On March 12, state media announced the publication of the book "Excerpts from Xi Jinping's Discussions on Strengthening the Party's Style Construction," which includes references to the 'Xi Core.'

Similarly, when the 2024 collection of Xi's writings and works is released, references to the 'Xi Core' will be unavoidable. For example, reports on the publication of books such as "Excerpts from Xi Jinping's Discussions on Comprehensively Strengthening the Party's Discipline Construction," "Excerpts from Xi Jinping's Discussions on Financial Work," and "Excerpts from Xi Jinping's Discussions on National Energy Security" typically include such terminology.

However, in the recent reports regarding the publication of Xi's two-volume work "On Upholding Comprehensive Deepening Reform," the term 'Xi Core' was notably absent. Even in discussions of the Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee and the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee, 'Xi Core' was not mentioned. This omission appears to be intentional rather than accidental. This situation recalls the event on August 15, when Premier Li Qiang attended the opening ceremony of the 2025 National Ecological Day main event and the symposium on the principle that 'Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets.' While he referenced 'Xi Thought' and 'Xi's Thought on Ecological Civilisation,' he also did not mention 'Xi Core,' which is equally unusual.

Following the sensitive Beidaihe meeting, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) seems to be promoting Xi publicly on one hand, while on the other, they are downplaying his status through details such as the omission of 'Xi Core.' This suggests that a consensus regarding Xi's position may have been reached during the closed-door Beidaihe meeting, aimed at preserving Xi's dignity while significantly reducing his 'one-man' power. I speculate that, regardless of Xi's personal preferences, a new power transition at the Fourth Plenary Session of the CCP in October is highly likely.

(First published by People News) △