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On Saturday, China’s Communist Party Congress, which takes place every five years, came to an end. President Xi Jinping is expected to take office for an unprecedented third time.
One of the last activities of the week-long conference took place at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, where Xi gave a speech beginning about noon (0400 GMT).
2,300 party delegates, chosen by the party to endorse a reorganisation of its leadership, met for a week and mostly rubber-stamped decisions in sessions before his speech.
Hu Jintao, the former leader of China, was led out of the closing ceremony, which was an unexpected action for such a well staged spectacle. The incident was not officially explained.
Without providing a complete roster of members, state media outlet Xinhua claimed that the new Central Committee, which includes 200 senior Party officials, was elected soon after 11 a.m. on Saturday.
Additionally, delegates approved a resolution regarding the Party’s constitution as well as Xi’s “work report,” which was delivered at the Congress’ beginning last Sunday.
Now, it’s commonly believed that Xi will be introduced as general secretary on Sunday, right after the inaugural meeting of the new Central Committee.
This will make it possible for Xi to easily win election to a third term as president of China, which will be revealed during the government’s annual parliamentary sessions in March.
In order to be able to rule forever, Xi already repealed the two-term presidential term restriction in 2018.
The new Central Committee will also adopt a reorganised 25-member Politburo over the weekend, as well as a Politburo Standing Committee of roughly seven members, which many predict would be packed with Xi friends and serve as China’s highest authority.
At the Congress’ opening ceremony on Sunday, Xi gave a 105-minute address in which he praised the party’s accomplishments while ignoring internal issues including the sluggish economy and the harm caused by his strict zero-Covid policy.
A defiant Xi also exhorted Communist Party members to arm themselves against multiple difficulties, including a tightening geopolitical climate, in a speech that was heavy on ideological rhetoric and low on policy.
“We have prioritised our national interests in the face of dramatic changes in the world scene, particularly external attempts to blackmail, contain, (and) blockade… China.”
The address also had a strong security component, as Xi praised Hong Kong’s transformation from “chaos to governance” while pledging to “never commit to renouncing the use of force” to annex the independent island of Taiwan.
a power grab
Analysts predicted that Xi’s appointment for a third term in office was almost certain to occur at the Congress, further solidifying his status as China’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong.
The editor of the University of Hong Kong’s China Media Project, David Bandurski, stated that Xi’s work report “is a meticulously orchestrated scenario through which the power of the Party, its leader, and its beliefs are designed to be exalted and reinforced.”
However, there are still a few important issues that need to be addressed, such as whether Xi, 69, will name a potential successor to the Politburo Standing Committee and whether a more moderate version of his distinctive political philosophy will be incorporated into the party charter of the 96-million-strong organisation.
According to Steve Tsang, head of the SOAS China Institute at the University of London, this would make Xi Jinping Thought “the latest, 21st-century interpretation of Marxism (and) the state philosophy of China.”
According to Tsang, “Xi’s power will be akin to that of the Chinese dictator, and there will be little room for anyone to counsel him to try course correction.”
As everything will depend on Xi getting it right, the possibility of policy errors increasing.
