With warnings to Taiwan and reaffirming its Covid 0 policy, the country’s secretary general and president inaugurates this conclave, in which he will break the rule of withdrawing after ten years in office
In a Beijing shielded by security and anti-Covid controls, which have paralyzed the city and restricted arrivals from other places, the XX Congress of the Communist Party of China started this Sunday to perpetuate its secretary general and president of the country, Xi Jinping. For this historic conclave, which represents a radical change from the previous two decades, the regime has tried to project an image of unity around Xi, who thus breaks the rule of retiring after two five-year terms, as his predecessors did. , Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao.
For this purpose, both Hu Jintao, 79, and former Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, 80, accompanied Xi Jinping on the dais of the Great Hall of the People. But other important historical leaders were missing, such as former President Jiang Zemin and former Prime Minister Zhu Rongji, who are 96 and 94 years old respectively and are in poor health. Whether for this reason or for his alleged opposition to Xi’s plans, which some experts have pointed out, his absence was made up for by the centenarian Song Ping, a hard-line revolutionary staunch supporter of the Tiananmen crackdown in 1989.
With the leadership of the regime without a mask and the rest of almost 2,300 delegates with it, Xi Jinping opened the Congress by reading the report of the last five years prepared by the outgoing Politburo Standing Committee. In his speech, lasting an hour and three quarters, he began by enumerating the economic achievements of the second world power and praised the eradication of absolute poverty, which the propaganda presumes as the main objective of the Communist Party in its century of life. . “This will forever be remembered in the history of the Chinese nation and will profoundly influence the world,” he assured as delegates broke into applause.
Although Xi showed his adherence to Marxism-Leninism, he insisted on its Chinese characteristics. “To build a great socialist nation, we must pursue high-quality growth. Development is the top priority of the Party to govern and rejuvenate China (…). Therefore, we have to apply the new philosophy to solve our problems and continue the reforms to develop a socialist market economy”, he advocated before insisting on his “dual circulation” policy. “We must promote an opening of high standards and a new pattern of growth that includes domestic and international flows,” he said to calm the fears that have arisen in other countries that a return to a state economy with less weight from the private sector.
Added to these fears is the impact on the global supply chain due to the Covid 0 policy, which he promised to resolve. But he dashed any hope that the regime would abandon its restrictions and controls, backed by Xi himself, by stating that “a war of all the people to prevent the spread of the virus” continues to be waged.
In his opinion, “the future of China is bright”, but he also warned that “we still have a long way to go. We have to be more careful when dealing with hazards, be prepared to deal with worst-case scenarios, with high winds, rough waters and even storms.”
Amid the troubled international scene, Xi Jinping did not mention the war in Ukraine or his increasingly frequent clashes with the United States and the rest of the West, but he did make clear the importance of national security, citing more than 70 times, and social stability. In his opinion, both are key to achieving a “prosperous and strong China” and require coordination of both domestic and international, economic, technological and military security. Without giving details, he advanced a “new security architecture” that, in view of the last ten years, raises fears of greater internal repression and external expansionism.
In addition to being proud of having brought “order after chaos” to Hong Kong, where he has crushed the demands for democracy with a National Security Law that criminalizes all political opposition, he called for reunification with Taiwan, the democratic and independent island “de facto” demanded by Beijing since the end of the civil war in 1949. “Implement our Party’s general policy to resolve the Taiwan question in the new era and advance the cause of national reunification. We have always shown respect and affection for our Taiwan compatriots and want to give them benefits. We will continue to promote cross-strait economic and social exchanges and let people from both sides work together to promote Chinese culture and closer ties,” he said in a conciliatory tone.
But he also made it clear that “solving the Taiwan question is a Chinese matter that we Chinese must solve.” Although he assured that “we will continue to advocate for a peaceful reunification with the greatest sincerity and the greatest efforts,” he also clarified that “we have never promised to renounce the use of force and we reserve the option of adopting all necessary measures.” A threat that, according to him, “is directly aimed at the interference of foreign forces and separatist activities, not at our Taiwanese compatriots.” With the poetic argument that “the wheels of history turn in favor of the reunification and rejuvenation of the Chinese nation”, he claimed that “the complete reunification of our country can and must be achieved, and will undoubtedly be achieved”, starting the highest applause from delegates.
Giving them a serious warning, Xi Jinping warned them that “corruption is a cancer for the vitality and capacity of the Party and fighting against it is the best way to avoid risks” for its survival. Avoiding the darkest chapters of its history, such as the “Great Leap Forward” (1958-62) and the “Cultural Revolution” (1966-76), he concluded to cheers that “the Communist Party of China has achieved great achievements during the last century and our new efforts will be even more spectacular. To achieve this, he will continue to lead.
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