Beijing's normally passive political factions are on the move. Usually, they must lie low to avoid unwanted attention or being singled out as a threat. But in 2016 this passivity will become a liability. The 19th Party Congress will begin in October 2017, bringing the retirement of several top officials and marking the halfway point of Chinese President Xi Jinping's tenure as the Communist Party's general secretary. The networks of power that form — or break — in the next year will determine the shape of China's next political order. Xi, however, has prepared for the coming order. In 2012, he launched a nationwide anti-corruption campaign , which he used to eliminate his rival, Bo Xilai , and capture the presidency and the position of general secretary. For four years he has been steadily rooting out barriers to his power throughout the government.