The outcome of the 20th Party Congress in China did not produce any major surprises; nonetheless, it will be highly consequential for the future of the world’s second-largest economy and the wider stability of the Indo-Pacific region.

President Xi broke with the post-Mao norm by pursuing a third term in power, as widely expected in the lead-up to the Congress. He also purged the Standing Committee of any vestiges of competing power blocs, notably the Communist Youth League faction tied to former president Hu Jintao. Gone is Premier Li Keqiang, who was often held up as the last for meaningful reform of China’s state-heavy and supply-side-weighted economic model. And so too is former vice premier Hu Chunhua, who was long speculated to become China’s next premier, albeit a weak one, so as to mitigate the optics of Xi Jinping’s total control of the highest levels of the Party leadership.

Both Li and Hu owe their political rises to Hu Jintao – an individual who loomed large over the meeting’s proceedings. Not only were Hu’s proteges systematically purged from positions of authority in the new Politburo, but the former president also figured prominently in the event’s coverage due to an incident where he was apparently forcibly removed from a ceremony by security personnel. Though the official line is that Hu was escorted out due to health issues, the nature of the video itself – and the fact that the video even aired across China’s tightly-controlled state media channels – strongly suggests otherwise. Rather, this was an orchestrated power play meant to establish President Xi’s power beyond the shadow of a doubt.

The theme of Xi’s unrivaled ascendence is further reinforced by the new faces on the Standing Committee. One is Li Qiang, the presumed incoming premier who, if anointed, would represent another break from previous norms in that he did not serve as vice premier and has relatively narrow policy experience. Li is as close to President Xi as they come, having served as his former chief of staff during Xi’s tenure as Party head of Zhejiang from 2004-2007. Other newcomers Ding Xuexiang (head of the Central Committee’s General Office), Cai Qi (Beijing Party head), and Li Xi (Guangdong Party head), all similarly owe their political ascendency to President Xi, and as such are unlikely to put up any sustained opposition to his policy vision.