Chinese President Xi Jinping was reappointed Sunday at the head of the Communist Party, now made up of close allies, becoming the most powerful leader since Mao Tse-tung, founder of the regime. The Beijing strongman promised to “to work hard in accomplishment” of its “tasks”immediately after securing a third five-year term, by a vastly revamped Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CCP).
At the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Xi Jinping, who has presided over China for ten years, arrived on Sunday at the platform surmounted by the sickle and the hammer. He was followed by six other men appointed to the pinnacle of Chinese power, all relatives and allies. Xia “sincerely thanked the whole Party for the trust placed in us”the new management team. “China cannot develop without the world, and the world also needs China”then told the press the leader, also returned to command of the Chinese army. 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.
“We have created two miracles: rapid economic development and long-term social stability,” he also congratulated himself. Despite an almost total concentration of power, Xi Jinping will however have to face a sharply slowing economy, in particular due to his “zero covid” policy, an exacerbated rivalry with the United States and international criticism on human rights. .
No women in political office
The 20th Congress of the CPC 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 parliament within the party. During their first meeting on Sunday morning, the 205 members of this parliament – including only 11 women – appointed the 24 representatives of the Political Bureau, the decision-making body of the PCC. This one, for the first time in 25 years, has no women. None were appointed to the Politburo to replace Sun Chunlan, the only woman who was on it and retired.
The Taiwan Question
For the first time, the PCC decided to include in its charter a specific mention on its “opposition” to the independence of the island of 23 million inhabitants in the South China Sea. Taipei on Saturday called on Beijing to get rid of its “old mentality”after this decision. “We call on the new leadership of the Chinese Communist government to abandon its old mentality of invasion and confrontation and resolve disputes through peaceful, fair and realistic means.”said in a statement the Taiwan Mainland Affairs Council, the body that defines the Taiwanese government’s policy towards Beijing.
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, he amended the Constitution in 2018 which limited this position to two terms and a total duration of 10 years. At the end of its congress, the CCP reaffirmed on Saturday the “central role” by Xi Jinping.
The only significant incident during a highly choreographed ceremony, former President Hu Jintao was escorted out on Saturday. 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 highly unusual scene has not been explained by the authorities. The New China Agency stated in English that Hu Jintao “didn’t feel well”. he goes “much better” now, she wrote on Twitter, a social network blocked in China. Hu Jintao, who appeared physically weakened during the congress, is Xi Jinping’s predecessor and is considered a reformer. Any recent reference to his name appeared to have been censored from the Chinese internet.
Congratulations from Russia and North Korea
After Xi Jinping’s reappointment as head of the Chinese Communist Party, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday sent his “warmest congratulations”. “I look forward to continuing our constructive dialogue and close joint work aimed at strengthening the relations of comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation between our States”underlined the Russian president, quoted in a press release from the Kremlin, wishing the Chinese leader to “new successes (…), robust health and prosperity”.
For his part, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Sunday sent his “warm congratulations” to Chinese President Xi Jinping for his reappointment as head of the Communist Party of China, wishing a “best future” to bilateral relations, reports the official agency KCNA. “I will build, with you, a better future for relationships” between North Korea and China “to meet the demands of our time”, Kim said in the statement released by the Pyongyang state agency.