How strong is Xi Jinping’s position in today’s China?

Recently, social media was abuzz about a possible coup in Beijing against Xi Jinping. However, the Chinese president reappeared on Tuesday. So how strong is Xi Jinping's position in today's China?

Dispelling the empty rumors on the social media of an invisible coup d'etat in Beijing, Chinese president Xi Jinping made his first public appearance on Tuesday since returning to China in mid-September. The stage is now set for perhaps the most important political event in the recent history of China begging the question will Xi Jinping emerge stronger after the 20th National Party Congress (NPC) scheduled on October 16 later this year and will he declare a successor?

Experts believe that Xi is more likely to cement his position even further in the political setup of China. China-watchers expect the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party to embark on his extraordinary third term without any hiccups. So, what is working in Xi’s favour, why does he remain unchallenged and why it is virtually impossible even for the military to overthrow him in present-day China?

According to China experts, the top Chinese political leader, through his sustained efforts, has made sure that his position becomes stronger through his direct and indirect hold over most decision-making bodies.

READ | China President Xi Jinping reappears on state TV amid rumours over 'absence'

“Undoubtedly, Xi Jinping is going to embark on his third term with the 20th Party Congress. It remains no mystery given no successor has been declared and Xi has already amassed central authority in every capacity in China,” said Dr Amrita Jash, Assistant Professor at the Department of Geopolitics and International Relations at the Manipal Academy of Higher Education and author of the book The Concept of Active Defence in China's Military Strategy.

According to Dr Jash, among the principal factors working in Xi’s favour is his success in consolidating his power as the supreme leader by means of enshrining “Xi Jinping thought" to the Constitution, abolishing the presidential term limits and incorporating a powerful new government agency called the National Supervisory Commission into China’s Constitution.

“Xi Jinping has been strategically placing his loyalists in all important party and state positions,” Suyash Desai, another keen China-watcher and Taiwan-based research scholar studying China’s defence and foreign policies tells India Today.