ASCENT

Xi Jinping Poised to Lead China

After steady political rise.

After short-lived rumors about his health were laid to rest, Chinese politician Xi Jinping stands poised to take the helm of his country in a rare transition of power in November. Well-connected and with a background in China’s peasant regions that still serves well in the political sphere, Xi has made a name for himself as a reformer who still knows when to stick close to his base, using his clout to strike deals that favor local farmers. “People think of him as being from the new generation of technocrats,” said political analyst Jin Zhong. “But he’s really a continuation of the red bureaucracy of his father’s generation.”