The Communist Party of China’s (CPC) 19th National Congress held on 18-20th October in Beijing a hugely important political event in China in which the party meets for roughly a week once every five years to decide on its leadership and set national policy priorities for China. Traditions shown that the party changes its head every 10 years. Incumbent head Xi Jinping began his first five-year term during the last congress in 2012, and the party reappointed him for his second five-year term in this session.
The party also assigned people to top leadership positions in the tiers below him, the Central Committee, Politburo, Central Military Commission and most notably the all-powerful Politburo Standing Committee. It’s a group, composed of seven people, who make up the most senior decision-making body in the Chinese Communist party. Its members have broad portfolios like running the economy or the country’s propaganda operations.
What Xi pointed
Speaking in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, at the start of the week-long 19th party congress to more than 2,200 delegates, the 203 minutes speech essentially outlined China’s policy direction in all major fields.
In his report titled “Secure a Decisive Victory in Building a Moderately Prosperous Society in All Respects and Strive for the Great Success of Socialism With Chinese Characteristics for a New Era”, enthusiastic Xi unveiled a two-stage plan to transform China into a “great modern socialist country” by mid-century.
To fulfill this great dream, Xi has inherited two lofty economic targets set by the party’s previous leadership together known as “two centennial goals.” The first centennial goal is to build a “moderately prosperous society” by wiping out poverty by 2021, the 100th anniversary of the party’s founding. The second and more challenging goal is to turn China into a “fully developed nation” by 2049, the 100th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic.
In his speech, Xi for the first time outlined a specific timetable for reaching the second centennial goal. He said the party will first lead China to “basically realize socialist modernization” by 2035, when, among other things, the nation will have narrowed its wealth gap and improved its environment significantly. And the second stage will last from 2035-2050, during which China will become a leading global power and the Chinese people will basically enjoy “common property.” By then, Xi said, “the Chinese nation will stand with a more high-spirited image in the family of nations.”
Xi spoke a great deal about making the economy more agile and prosperous by doing things like improving state-owned enterprises — but he was clear it wouldn’t be moving toward a conventional market economy.
As the New York Times notes, Xi said the word “market” only 19 times, compared to 24 times by his predecessor Hu at the previous congress in 2012, and 51 times by then-President Jiang Zemin at the 1997 congress.
Xi also championed China’s growing influence on the world stage, celebrating the country’s increasing control of the disputed South China Sea under his first term and calling for efforts to make the Chinese military more powerful. He also called for Chinese mainland control of Taiwan, the island nation off the coast of China that Beijing considers a renegade province.
Xi signaled that he would continue to ramp up one of the biggest themes of his first term: domestic repression. Under his rule, Chinese authorities have cracked down hard on free expression and civil society.
Growth in the world’s second-largest economy had decelerated last year to 6.7 percent, the slowest annual pace in a quarter century. Xi’s speech did not mention long-term targets for the size of the economy or per-capita GDP, which some analysts interpreted as a sign that the government will be increasingly tolerant of slower growth as they pursue structural reform.
What Xi said about some most important issues?
On Corruption
“The people resent corruption most, and corruption is the greatest threat our party faces.”
“We will strengthen deterrence so officials daren’t be corrupt… and strengthen vigilance so that they have no desire to commit corruption.”
On Military
“We will make it our mission to see that by 2035, the modernization of our national defense is basically complete, and that by the mid-21st century our people’s armed forces have been fully transformed into world-class forces.”
On Chinese sovereignty
On Chinese sovereignty he said at this occasion that “We have the resolve, the confidence, and the ability to defeat ‘Taiwan Independence’ in any form. We will never allow anyone, any organization or any political party, at any time or any form, to separate any part of Chinese territory from China.”
On Economy
“China now leads the world in trade, outbound investment, and foreign-exchange reserves.” And more important he said “Houses are for living, not for speculating.”
Control over party and position
Five members of the new seven-strong Politburo Standing Committee introduced by Xi were newly appointed on October 18. Going by the party’s norms on retirement ages, none of them are deemed suitable to succeed the 64-year-old Xi as party leader after his second five-year term. The absence of an obvious successor pointed to Xi’s longer-term ambitions. It suggests that Xi will likely serve a third term, and that he is likely to name his own successor
At its closing session the party had already elevated Xi’s status by inserting his name and dogma into the party’s constitution alongside past leaders Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping.
The only other returning member to the apex ruling body was Premier Li Keqiang, the party’s second-ranking official primarily responsible for overseeing the economy and leading the Cabinet. Li’s authority was widely viewed as having been undercut by Xi’s accumulation of power across various sectors of government.
The new leaders will face challenges that include reining in burgeoning levels of debt, managing trade tensions with the U.S. and Europe, preventing war over North Korea’s nuclear program and navigating ties with Southeast Asian nations wary of Beijing’s influence.
Important amendments to the constitution of Communist Party of China since first Party Congress
19th CPC National Congress, Oct 2017, Beijing- Inclusion of Xi Jinping Thoughts on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.
18th CPC National Congress, Nov 2012, Beijing- Adoption of Marxist - Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, the Three Represents and the Scientific Outlook on Development as the Party's action guideline, Inclusion of ecological civilization development.
17th CPC National Congress, Oct 2007, Beijing- Inclusion of the Scientific Outlook on Development.
16th CPC National Congress, Nov 2002, Beijing- Inclusion of the important thought of "Three Represents", which means the CPC represents the development trend of China's advanced productive forces, the orientation of China's advanced culture and the fundamental interests of the overwhelming majority of the Chinese people.
15th CPC National Congress, Sept 1997, Beijing- Establishment of Deng Xiaoping theory as the CPC's guiding ideology alongside Marxism-Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought.
14th CPC National Congress, Oct 1992, Beijing- Inclusion of Deng Xiaoping's theory of "building socialism with Chinese characteristics" and "one center, two basic points".
13th CPC National Congress, Nov 1987, Beijing- Inclusion of statement for the first time that the number of candidates should be more than the number to be elected.
12th CPC National Congress, Sept 1982, Beijing- Correction of all "leftist" mistakes; Ban of "personality cult"; Call for "democratic discussions" on major issues.
11th CPC National Congress, Aug 1977, Beijing- Establishment of disciplinary inspection committees at CPC Central Committee and other committees above county and regiment level; Appointment of people based on abilities stressed.
10th CPC National Congress, Aug 1973, Beijing- Removal of an article appointing Lin Biao as Mao Zedong's successor.
9th CPC National Congress, April 1969, Beijing- Designation of Lin Biao as a close comrade-in-arm and successor of Mao Zedong.
8th CPC National Congress, Sept 1956, Beijing- Approval of main task of "four modernizations" in industry, agriculture, transportation and national defense sectors; Inclusion of principle on income distribution -- each doing his best and getting paid according to contribution.
7th CPC National Congress, April to June 1945, Yan'an- First Constitution independently drafted by the CPC; Establishment of Mao Zedong Thought as CPC's guiding ideology.
6th CPC National Congress, June to July 1928, Moscow- Leadership of the Communist International stressed.
5th CPC National Congress, April to May, 1927, Wuhan- Legal age for individuals to join the CPC set to be 18 or above.
4th CPC National Congress, Jan 1925, Shanghai- Regulation of grassroots CPC units; Change of title of CPC Central Committee chief from chairman to general secretary.
3rd CPC National Congress, June 1923, Guangzhou- Description of the rights and obligations of full and alternate CPC members.
2nd CPC National Congress, July 1922, Shanghai- Adoption of the Party's first complete Constitution which defined the prerequisites and procedures for joining the Party, and the Party's organizational structure.
1st CPC National Congress, July 1921, Shanghai- A program, which defined the CPC's name, nature, guiding principles and ultimate goal, was to become the prototype of the Party Constitution.
Who is who in CPC ?
General secretary of CPC Central Committee- Xi Jinping
Members of Standing Committee of Political Bureau of CPC Central Committee- Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji and Han Zheng
Members of Political Bureau of CPC Central Committee - Ding Xuexiang, Xi Jinping, Wang Chen, Wang Huning, Liu He, Xu Qiliang, Sun Chunlan (female), Li Xi, Li Qiang, Li Keqiang, Li Hongzhong, Yang Jiechi, Yang Xiaodu, Wang Yang, Zhang Youxia, Chen Xi, Chen Quanguo, Chen Min'er, Zhao Leji, Hu Chunhua, Li Zhanshu, Guo Shengkun, Huang Kunming, Han Zheng and Cai Qi
Members of CPC Central Committee Secretariat- Wang Huning, Ding Xuexiang, Yang Xiaodu, Chen Xi, Guo Shengkun, Huang Kunming and You Quan
CPC Central Military Commission
Chairman: Xi Jinping
Vice-Chairmen: Xu Qiliang and Zhang Youxia
Members: Wei Fenghe, Li Zuocheng, Miao Hua and Zhang Shengmin
CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection
Secretary: Zhao Leji
Deputy secretaries: Yang Xiaodu, Zhang Shengmin, Liu Jinguo, Yang Xiaochao, Li Shulei, Xu Lingyi, Xiao Pei and Chen Xiaojiang
Standing Committee members
Wang Hongjin, Bai Shaokang, Liu Jinguo, Li Shulei, Yang Xiaochao, Yang Xiaodu, Xiao Pei, Zou Jiayi (female), Zhang Shengmin, Zhang Chunsheng, Chen Xiaojiang, Chen Chaoying, Zhao Leji, Hou Kai, Jiang Xinzhi, Luo Yuan, Xu Lingyi, Ling Ji and Cui Peng