Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, delivers an important speech when meeting with the media on Sunday, Oct 23, 2022 at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing with the other six newly elected members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the 20th CPC Central Committee. (FENG YONGBIN / CHINA DAILY)
SYDNEY – The new leadership team of the Communist Party of China lay solid foundation for the country’s path to modernization as the members enjoy rich governing experiences and share the same vision for the nation’s future as espoused by Party chief Xi Jinping, analysts say.
The seven-member Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, with Xi as general secretary, was elected on Oct 23 at the first plenum of the 20th CPC Central Committee, a day after the Party's twice-a-decade National Congress concluded.
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Colin Mackerras, professor emeritus at Griffith University in Brisbane, Queensland, and one of Australia’s leading Sinologists, said Xi had put a visionary agenda to the Party’s 20th Congress and “got it accepted”.
Xi’s vision was spelt out in his address to the Congress where he not only emphasized development, but also talked of common prosperity, reducing inequalities that still exist, and the importance of the environment, he said.
Xi Jinping (center), general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, meets with the media on Sunday at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, with the other six newly elected members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the 20th CPC Central Committee: Li Qiang (third right), Zhao Leji (third left), Wang Huning (second right), Cai Qi (second left), Ding Xuexiang (right) and Li Xi (left). (FENG YONGBIN / CHINA DAILY)
Xi has done a great deal to uproot the corruption that was rampant when he came to office ten years ago… and Xi put a lot of emphasis on human life and winning the war against the pandemic. I think the zero-COVID policy will continue for a while, I suspect into next year
Colin Mackerras, Emeritus professor at Griffith University
Xi “has done a great deal to uproot the corruption that was rampant when he came to office ten years ago,” Mackerras told China Daily. And, “Xi put a lot of emphasis on human life and winning the war against the pandemic. I think the zero-COVID policy will continue for a while, I suspect into next year.”
Moreover, in his report and remarks, Xi reiterated China’s opposition to the growing “Cold War mentality” in international diplomacy.
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Xi said China resolutely opposes all forms of hegemony and power politics, opposes the Cold War mentality, opposes interfering in other countries' domestic politics, opposes double standards.
Mackerras said China does not seek hegemony and will never engage in expansion. “China's approach is peaceful, but the Americans' is not.”
He noted that on the question of Taiwan, Beijing’s position has not changed.
“It wants peaceful reunification but is not prepared to rule out the use of force. Unfortunately, the US is moving more and more towards wanting an ‘independent’ Taiwan,” he said, and Washington “does not hesitate to go back on its word in dealings with other countries.”
The US “wants to keep control over Taiwan. China has been very cautious up to now and I expect that to continue,” Mackerras said.
James Laurenceson, director of the Australia-China Relations Institute at the University of Technology Sydney, said the next five years will be “interesting”.
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He told China Daily that the economy will be crucial going forward.
“In the medium to long term, if China gets the policy settings right, it could really kick-start economic growth again without too much trouble,” he said. “I don’t just mean by the way it deals with COVID… I mean with how it responds to the broader, structural challenges.”
Hans Hendrischke, professor of Chinese Business and Management at the University of Sydney, said “Putting it into context, this Congress laid the ideological foundations for the Party‘s rule until 2049”, when the nation will mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
“Priority was the long-term ideological agenda, poverty reduction, more international engagement, particularly with developing countries,” he said.
He said short- and medium-term policies will come from the National People‘s Congress next March, which will also nominate the new government.
“Xi Jinping has consolidated his ideological position,” Hendrischke added. “In his opening speech, his economic focus was on horizontal equalization of income level between rich and poor provinces.”
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Hendrischke said “the best indication for future policies is the new members of the Politburo Standing Committee”.
The members have deep experiences in the comparatively advanced provinces, such as Li Qiang, with leading roles in Fujian, Zhejiang and Jiangsu, said Hendrischke, and Li Xi with experience in Northwestern China, Liaoning and Shanghai, currently in Guangdong.
“To me this looks like a concentration of practical, provincial expertise. All of these new people come from the market-oriented coastal economies which fund the central government,” Hendrischke said.
karlwilson@chinadailyapac.com