Xi Jinping’s consolidation of authority through sustained purges of military and political figures, combined with preparations for the 2027 Communist Party Congress, underpins the 97% trader consensus that he will remain in office through 2026. Recent directives on internal security and stability, issued after his September 2026 summit with the U.S. president, signal continued focus on domestic control and economic planning for the 15th Five-Year Plan. No visible elite challenges or health developments have emerged in the past month to disrupt this trajectory. Realistic shifts remain limited to low-probability events such as acute medical incapacity or abrupt military factional resistance, though institutional mechanisms and recent leadership reshuffles make such outcomes unlikely before the congress.