Is China’s central bank boss Zhou Xiaochuan about to retire?

Zhou Xiaochuan, the long-serving governor of the People’s Bank of China, was not included on a new list of the nation’s top political advisory body, the strongest signal yet he may be about to retire.

Zhou, who has served as vice-chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference since 2013, is not being re-selected as a member of its 13th national committee, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

The absence signals Zhou – who turns 70 on Monday – is likely to retire from the central bank before March, when the conference, a gathering of more than 2,000 people who advise on policymaking, usually holds its annual meeting.