Beijing At the start of the 20th party congress on Sunday, China’s head of state and party leader Xi Jinping warned of “dangerous storms” and called for preparations for a “worst-case scenario”. In his 105-minute speech in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, the 69-year-old also praised the successes of his tenure so far – such as the significant expansion of China’s international influence. With regard to the zero-Covid strategy, but also Taiwan policy, Xi signaled that he would stick to the previous strategy.
“Uncompromising continuity” is the most important finding from Xi’s speech, emphasizes Scott Kennedy, from the US think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). This applies to his ideological course as well as to further development, to capital markets, Covid policy, tech regulation, international politics and Taiwan. “The speech will not calm industry, the USA and the West,” says the political advisor.
Xi opened the party meeting, which only takes place every five years, with a nearly two-hour report in front of 2,341 delegates. The comrades are expected to meet behind closed doors until the end of next week and determine a new party leadership. Xi is expected to continue to expand his power and be confirmed in office for a third term, possibly for life, as secretary-general. The new party leadership is expected to present itself to the public on Sunday.
In his speech, Xi warned of “immense risks and challenges” and “global changes unseen in a century.” Christopher Johnson, a former China expert for the US CIA, observed that while he had emphasized China’s strategic opportunities in previous speeches, he recently spoke more strongly about the risks and dangers. In doing so, he creates a “certain feeling of distress” and justifies the strong concentration of power on his person. Kennedy also noticed that the word “effort” was mentioned more frequently than the word “reform”.
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The main purpose of the party congress is to send a signal that the “party leadership is going in the right direction at the right pace,” says Kerry Brown, professor of China Studies at King’s College London. In his speech, Xi also acknowledged the most important achievements of the past ten years under his leadership, from the fight against poverty and corruption to national security and the modernization of the military to environmental protection. “Our future is bright, but we still have a long way to go,” Xi said.
Growing geopolitical tensions and economic problems
The party conference comes at a time of growing geopolitical tensions, particularly between China and the United States. In addition, the economic prospects of the second largest economy in the world have recently deteriorated significantly. The Chinese government’s adherence to the strict zero-Covid policy is hurting the domestic economy. Added to this is the ongoing crisis in the real estate market and the slowdown in global demand. Significantly, September foreign trade data, due last Friday, were pushed back without explanation.
In his speech, Xi praised the achievements of the rigorous zero-Covid strategy. In fighting the pandemic, the state leadership “put people and their lives above everything,” he repeated the party line. However, China expert Kennedy recognizes a certain “ambiguity” in the statements. That would leave “room for change,” he believes. In the run-up to the party congress, party media had signaled adherence to the strict zero-tolerance policy, which repeatedly leads to lockdowns.
Xi received the longest and loudest applause for his statements on Taiwan policy. China aims for peaceful unification with Taiwan, Xi stressed. But the People’s Republic will “never commit to renouncing the use of force,” Xi stressed, reiterating earlier statements. The Chinese government sees the self-governing, democratically governed island as part of its national territory.
The visit of Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the US House of Representatives, to Taiwan in August and the subsequent Chinese military demonstration in the Taiwan Strait had exacerbated the confrontation between China and the US. However, there was “nothing new” in Xi’s statements about Taiwan, commented Bonnie Glaser, director of the Asia program at the US think tank German Marshall Fund, on Twitter.
Without naming the US, the Xi stressed China’s determination to protect its core interests and promote its own development. China’s international influence, its appeal and “its power to shape the world have increased significantly,” stated the state and party leader.
Head of state Xi Jinping said little about corona policy.
(Photo: AP)
He also reiterated the importance of his country’s pursuit of greater independence. You have to have the supply “firmly in your own hands”. The necessary innovations would have to be promoted even more. Xi cited achievements in biomedicine, aerospace, nuclear energy and quantum computing.
Governance calls for more technological breakthroughs
However, in order to improve innovative strength, China must “achieve important technological breakthroughs” even faster with the help of large national projects and further expand China’s strength in strategically important fields of science and technology. At the same time, the country must continue to focus on the “real economy”.
Xi’s speech also gave an indication of how much the party is concerned about high youth unemployment. A nation can only prosper if its young people are successful. The party leader addressed the youth directly, calling on them to strive for higher things to help transform China into a modern socialist country. According to official data, in July one in five people aged 16 to 24 were unemployed.
In view of the aging population, Xi also wants to set up a strategy “to increase birth rates”. China’s population will shrink rapidly in the coming years, a belated consequence of decades of the one-child policy.
It was noticeable that Xi repeatedly pointed out in his speech the importance of environmental protection for his country. China will work “actively and prudently” to reduce carbon emissions and become carbon neutral. However, unlike on previous occasions, Xi did not name a date. Two years ago he announced that the People’s Republic wanted to reduce CO2 emissions from 2030 and become climate-neutral by 2060.
In the run-up to the party congress, hardly any information about the process or the expected results had become known. Experts consider the latter a sign of how much power Xi Jinping has already centralized in the party. His position is expected to be further strengthened during the party congress.