(Beijing) Chinese President Xi Jinping was reappointed Sunday at the head of the Communist Party, after having swept away any challenge, becoming the most powerful leader since Mao Tse-tung, founder of the regime.
Updated at 0:34
The Beijing strongman has been nominated for a third five-year term by a largely revamped Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CCP).
In a decade at the head of the country, Xi Jinping has succeeded in making China the second largest economy in the world, with one of the most powerful armies in the world.
Despite an almost total concentration of power, Mr. Xi will have to deal with a sharply slowing economy, in particular due to his “zero COVID-19” policy, an exacerbated rivalry with the United States and international criticism over human rights. the person.
The 20e party congress closed on Saturday after a week of deliberations behind closed doors, with the renewal of 65% of the members of the Central Committee, a sort of internal party parliament, according to calculations by AFP.
During their first meeting on Sunday morning, the 205 members of this parliament – including only 11 women – appointed the 25 representatives of the Political Bureau, the decision-making body of the PCC, as well as its Standing Committee.
This all-powerful body holds the real power in China.
In accordance with custom, the members of the Standing Committee are announced in order of importance, the number one being the general secretary, Xi Jinping.
A priori, number two or number three will be the next prime minister who will succeed Li Keqiang.
Among the names mentioned to replace him: the current Deputy Prime Minister Hu Chunhua or Li Qiang, party leader in Shanghai, despite chaotic management of containment in the spring.
We already know that four of the seven former members of the Standing Committee have bowed out, according to the list of “parliamentarians” published by the official New China news agency after the congress.
They are the current Premier Li Keqiang, Chinese number three Li Zhanshu, Vice Premier Han Zheng and Wang Yang, chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, an assembly without decision-making power.
Considered one of the most liberal voices in the Party, Wang Yang was a favorite for the premiership.
“Asymmetric Dominance”
In any case, the composition of the new Standing Committee, which is usually the subject of fierce behind-the-scenes negotiations during the congress, will confirm Xi Jinping’s hold on political training, according to analysts.
“It will be an almost total victory for Xi Jinping” who will be able to place a majority of his supporters, predicts Willy Lam, a CCP specialist at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
“There will be an abnormally asymmetrical domination of a single faction: that of Xi Jinping,” Mr. Lam told AFP.
Far from its homogeneous appearance, the CCP is internally divided and several rival currents coexist, believe sinologists.
Until now, compromises existed for the distribution of positions, of which Xi Jinping is an illustrious example.
Failing to agree on their respective candidate, the various factions of the CCP finally put a consensus candidate in power in 2012.
But Xi Jinping then surprised everyone by eliminating his rivals to gradually concentrate all the powers at the head of the party and China, while carrying out severe repression against all dissent.
The Hu Jintao Incident
By obtaining a third term as secretary general of the party, Xi Jinping secures a third presidential term next March.
To stay in power, the strong man from Beijing obtained in 2018 to amend the Constitution which limited this position to two terms and a total duration of 10 years.
Party leader, army chief, head of state… the leader pleaded for the continuity of his policies during the opening speech of the congress.
The Chinese Communist Party for its part reaffirmed on Saturday the “central role” of Xi Jinping.
The only significant incident during a very choreographed closing ceremony, former President Hu Jintao was escorted to the exit on Saturday, AFP journalists noted.
Visibly against his will, the 79-year-old, who served as China’s president from 2003 to 2013, was pressured by employees to get up from his seat next to Xi Jinping.
This very unusual scene was not explained by the authorities, who did not respond to requests from AFP.
For its part, the New China agency said in English that Hu Jintao “did not feel well”. He is “much better” now, she wrote on Twitter, a social network blocked in China.
On Sunday, no media in the country had reposted this comment.
Hu Jintao, who appeared physically weakened during the congress, is Xi Jinping’s predecessor and is considered a reformer.
Any recent reference to Hu Jintao’s name appeared to have been censored from the Chinese internet since his exit from the ceremony.