China's Seoul Hotel Cancellation Casts Doubt on Xi's Grip on Power

Rumors suggest Xi may step down as leader after the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CCP, set for October 20–23.

Mary Man

Published: 10/6/2025, 5:25:17 AM EDT

China's Seoul Hotel Cancellation Casts Doubt on Xi's Grip on Power — Chinese leader Xi Jinping at Tiananmen Square in Beijing on Sept. 30, 2025. (Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images)

The cancellation of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Xi Jinping's reservation at the Shilla Seoul hotel for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, which he is expected to attend on Oct. 31, has added fuel to speculation about his waning influence.

Since mid-2024 and into 2025, rumors of Xi losing power have persisted, fueled by his absence from public appearances, military purges, and internal factional struggles within the CCP.

The South Korean government insists that Xi will still attend the APEC summit as planned, but signs suggest he may limit his stay to the coastal city of Gyeongju, making a bilateral state visit increasingly unlikely.

Shilla Seoul had notified guests that wedding events scheduled during the APEC summit would be canceled due to “state-level events,” but the hotel reversed its decision last weekend, saying weddings could proceed as planned. This change has fueled speculation that Xi’s visit may have been scaled back.

Xi’s South Korea visit will follow the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CCP, set for Oct. 20 to Oct. 23. Rumors have suggested that Xi may be forced to step down as CCP leader during the plenary session.

Diminishing Role on International Stage

The hotel cancellation also echoes analysis that Xi has reduced his overseas travel and delegated tasks to subordinates, suggesting a possibly diminished role.

His unexpected absence from the U.N. General Assembly last month surprised many, given the CCP’s frequent emphasis on the U.N. having a pivotal role.

Xi had delivered an address in person at the U.N.’s 70th anniversary in 2015 and a virtual address for the 75th anniversary in 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Premier Li Qiang represented the CCP at the U.N. General Assembly this year, stepping into the spotlight on the 80th anniversary of the U.N.'s founding.

Xi also skipped the Group of 20 leaders meeting in India in 2023 and the BRICS summit in Brazil this year, which marked a historic first. Xi had attended every BRICS leaders' meeting since taking power in 2012, often using the platform to advance the CCP’s agenda of a “multipolar world” and presenting itself as the leader of the “Global South" as a counterweight to the United States.

Political Purge

After Xi secured his unprecedented third term in 2022, a wave of purges has targeted his handpicked loyalists, fueling speculation of a brewing power struggle within the CCP.

By October, more than a dozen prominent Xi loyalists had either disappeared from public view, faced investigations for "serious disciplinary violations," or had been quietly demoted, often with no official explanation.

In August, China analyst Gordon Chang told The Epoch Times' American Thought Leaders program that he thought Xi had lost control of the Chinese military and China's civilian leaders.

“We have seen a number of unexplained disappearances as rumors grow that Xi Jinping is losing power,” he said. “Not all of it points to Xi Jinping losing influence, but some of it does. We will know a lot more after the Fourth Plenum in October.”

In May, insider information obtained by The Epoch Times suggested that Xi currently holds only a nominal role and has lost his grip on power.

Independent political commentator Cai Shenkun, who lives in exile in the United States, stated in May this year citing high-level sources in Beijing that CCP senior figures have reached a collective decision: Xi will have to formally step down from the political stage.

Cai predicts that the earliest possible time for a public announcement of his full exit from power—including his roles as Party leader and military chief—could be at the upcoming Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee.