Core

héxīn 核心

"Xi at the Core" (Artist: Badiucao 巴丢草 for CDT)

A reference to the highest leader of the Chinese Communist Party used (when in favor) in official rhetoric.

The term, coined by Deng Xiaoping when he called Mao the "core" of the CCP's first generation and himself that of the second, was widely used in reference to Jiang Zemin, "the core of the third generation." The term was not commonly applied to the low-key fourth generation Party leader Hu Jintao, but was resurrected by state media to refer to Xi Jinping amid the fifth generation leader's drive to consolidate power, and used widely by provincial and municipal leaders for Xi in early 2016 during a loyalty drive. Writing about the term's comeback in official media dialogue in late 2015 and early 2016, the New York Times' Chris Buckley noted that the "new push to praise [Xi] as China’s “core” leader, a term resonant with the formidable stature once held by Deng Xiaoping, suggests that his steely quest for dominance is not over.

In late October of 2016, as speculation about internal Party power jockeying was heating up ahead of the leadership transition expected at the 2017 19th Party Congress, the title of "core" Party leader was formally bestowed on Xi Jinping by the CCP. A communique released following the 6th Plenum of the 18th Party Central Committee appealed for Party members to "closely unite around the CCP Central Committee with Comrade Xi as the core."