Are the latest Communist Party promotions a sign of a new political trend in China?

Beijing promoted 10 officials to full membership of the Communist Party’s Central Committee at a major political gathering this week, where the normally routine process of filling vacancies took on new significance.

The names of the officials who have filled the vacant slots were included in a communique released at the end of the fifth plenum of the party’s 20th Central Committee on Thursday. The event, which…