PURGES of senior officials and unfounded rumours of military coups in Beijing have fed into feverish speculation ahead of a key meeting of China’s ruling party next month, when President Xi Jinping is expected to be granted an unprecedented third term.

The jailing of a clique of senior security officials for corruption, followed by days of strange and quickly dispelled rumours of Xi being under house arrest, have fuelled what one analyst called a “hothouse” environment mired in secrecy and suspicion, ‘The Guardian’ reported. Last week, a Chinese court jailed the former vice-Minister of Public Security Sun Lijun, the former Justice Minister Fu Zhenghua, and former police chiefs of Shanghai, Chongqing and Shanxi on corruption charges.

Fu and the police chiefs had been accused of being part of a political clique surrounding Sun, and being disloyal to Xi. Xi is expected to be re-appointed as leader of the party and military commission at the meeting, after he abolished the two-term limit in 2018 and waged a years-long anti-corruption campaign that also targeted many political opponents.

Xi’s inclusion on the list refuted social media rumours that had been swirling since September 24 of a military coup.