The article on the Communist Youth League is now available on Firstview
Against factional explanations (Tuanpai), I argue that the rise of CYL-affiliated cadres is a by-product of the organization's weakness. Various central and local CCP leaders have used the League to promote their protégés. For years, there was no incentive to dismantle this promotion path. However, in his bid to consolidate his power, Xi has weakened this channel so it may not be used by rivals.
