Why China’s 2026 is about stability over change – and what it signals ahead

BEIJING: As China steers into 2026, it does so in a year of careful calibration, analysts say – a critical passage towards 2027, when the Communist Party’s 21st Party Congress will unveil the next slate of top leaders and could see President Xi Jinping seek an unprecedented fourth term. The pre-Congress year typically offers early signals of elite alignment and succession dynamics, experts say, making 2026 a key period for reading political cues in Beijing. Against this backdrop, China is expected to project greater confidence abroad – from hosting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Shenzhen to pushing to…