On August 18, 1980, Deng Xiaoping spoke to an enlarged meeting of the Politburo on the reform of the leadership system. He named “the lifelong tenure of leading cadres” among its main defects. “The term of office of any leading cadre cannot be unlimited.”
He called for leadership to become gradually “younger and more professional.” The main task, he said, was to discover and promote outstanding middle-aged and young cadres, “and even boldly promote them out of the normal order.”