{
  "id": 16380652,
  "title": "China’s next generation of leaders waiting in the wings for more senior roles",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/24/chinas-next-generation-of-leaders-waiting-in-the-wings-for-more-16380652",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-24T22:00:28.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "South China Morning Post",
    "slug": "south-china-morning-post",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3372013/chinas-next-generation-leaders-waiting-wings-more-senior-roles"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The fifth plenum of China's ruling Communist Party takes place on Monday, with much of the focus on preparing for the allocation of crucial roles at the upcoming 21st party congress. This generation, known as the party's seventh generation (7G), was born in the late 1960s and 1970s and will play a critical role in shaping China's political future. Senior researcher Xie Maosong from Tsinghua University's National Institute of Strategic Studies outlines the qualities the party seeks in these leaders: absolute political loyalty, integrity, fighting spirit, technological expertise, grassroots experience, and resilience. While the party traditionally favors candidates with a longer career history, age is no longer a major factor in promotions. The 7G is expected to constitute the largest cohort at the upcoming party congress, with many already holding high-ranking regional and ministerial positions. Candidates include Shanghai Mayor Zhu Zhongming, Zhejiang Governor Liu Jie, Jiangsu Governor Liu Xiaotao, and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region's Government Chairman Wei Tao, all born in 1970. Other notable contenders include Beijing Mayor Yin Yong and Hubei Party Secretary Guan Zhiou, who are just a few months older. These officials, who hold or are expected to hold key Central Committee positions, are considered leading candidates for senior national roles in the future.",
  "summary": "Plenary sessions of the Central Committee, the upper echelon of China’s ruling Communist Party, are major events on the country’s political calendar. In the fourth part of this series, William Zheng looks at how the next generation of the party is being formed. When China’s political elites gather behind closed doors in Beijing for the Communist Party’s fifth plenum on Monday, much of the…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}