Chinese President Xi Jinping has begun ceding some day-to-day authority within the Communist Party, prompting analysts to speculate that the 70-year-old leader is laying the groundwork for an eventual succession after more than a decade in power. At a 30 June meeting chaired by Xi, the party’s 24-member Politburo approved regulations to standardise the work of several top-level “coordinative institutes.” State news agency Xinhua said the rules require the bodies to focus on planning and supervising “major matters,” a shift observers interpret as an effort to let Xi concentrate on strategic priorities while deputies handle routine business. The move coincides with Xi’s decision to skip this week’s BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro—his first absence since taking office in 2013—with Premier Li Qiang leading the Chinese delegation. Scholars such as the University of Chicago’s Dali Yang and UC San Diego’s Victor Shih say the combination of new rules and Xi’s reduced public schedule may signal either an orderly transition process or a bid to manage mounting economic and geopolitical pressures. Xi secured an unprecedented third term in 2022 after scrapping presidential term limits, and any formal transfer of power is unlikely before the party’s next congress in 2027. However, the latest steps mark the most significant redistribution of authority since he consolidated control over the party, state and military more than a decade ago.