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On October 18, 2017, the 19th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was held in Beijing. This very important gathering of China’s top leaders takes place twice a decade, and here, future plans on how to govern the nation are discussed among thousands of screened delegates; resolutions passed during this seven to eight-day meeting determine what China will look like for the next five years. The Congress elects new executives of China, discusses and adopts new policies, and most importantly, gives a chance for a new leader to be elected or a chance for the existing leader to solidify his power.
How important is the National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party?
National Congress of the CCP is arguably the most important meeting in China. During the Congress, major changes which could completely reform China are often made. For instance, Deng Xiao Ping famously said, “It doesn’t matter if a cat is black or white, so long as it catches mice,” during the 12th National Congress in 1982. His new policies economically reformed China, gradually shaping China into a rich global superpower. Then, during the 18th National Congress in 2012, the current general secretary of China, Xi Jin Ping, became the head. Although he has not served his second term yet, he is already deemed one of the most dominant Chinese rulers to appear since Mao Zedong.
What is the world most concerned about at this year’s Congress?
During the Congress, the global gaze was on Xi. In the past five years, he proved his political dominance and supremacy to his nation and the world. When Jeff Wasserstrom, a China expert at the University of California, was asked who are currently the five most powerful people in China, he said, “Xi, Xi, Xi, Xi, and Xi.” 2017 to 2022 will be Xi’s second and last term as China’s secretary general. In this year’s party congress, Xi will elect approximately half the members of the ruling bodies of China, including the politburo standing council (top ruling council), wider politburo committee, and the central committee. China experts predicted that Xi will raise the maximum age limit for one’s service in politics to keep Wang Qishan, Xi’s 69-year-old right hand man. Wang has led the Chinese government in reducing corruption among politicians and eliminating Xi’s political rivals and anti-Xi activists.
What is the overall outline of Xi’s plans? What can we expect after this year’s Congress?
In the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Xi delivered a long 3 hours and 23 minutes speech to outline the party’s plan for the next five years. He began by praising China for its unprecedented rate of development since its establishment and by creating a sense of unity among Chinese citizens by stating, “The Chinese nation is a great nation; it has been through hardships and adversity but remains indomitable. The Chinese people are a great people; they are industrious and brave and they never pause in pursuit of progress.” He continued, “[We must] 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.”
Next, he boldly stated his opinion on combatting anti-Communist activists and corruption in and outside of China. He stated that “we must [get] rid of any virus that erodes the party’s health.” He cautioned that China must “remain as firm as a rock” to maintain its global position and further develop during the next years.
He also addressed China’s importance in being responsible for global climatic and environmental changes. “Any harm we inflict on nature will eventually return to haunt us. This is a reality we have to face.” He added, “[China must take] a driving seat in international cooperation to respond to climate change.”
Near the end of the speech, he mentioned the current state of China mainland and Hong Kong. He declared that China would not allow the “one country, two systems” model. He stated that the independence activists must be strongly punished and said, “We will never allow anyone, any organization, or any political party, at any time or in any form, to separate any part of Chinese territory from China.” His definitive statement about Hong Kong provided an insight to what could possibly happen to China and Hong Kong in the next 5 years.
He concluded his speech by taking a strong stance on maintaining China’s current government system by saying, “No one political system should be regarded as the only choice and we should not just mechanically copy the political systems of other countries.”
My own thoughts on the 19th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party:
As a foreigner residing in China, I was astounded by what I learned about the power of the Chinese government from researching this article. 2017 has shown the highest rate of internet censorship in China during the past three years, and this was because of the National Congress. I realized that the Congress was also the main reason why, during the past month, our VPNs were not working well. To prepare for the Congress held in Beijing, the Chinese government also began to shut down factories in Beijing from September to improve the air quality. It amazed me how the companies and factories of Beijing immediately obeyed the Chinese government and shut their doors for the National Congress.
Another topic that intrigued me was Xi’s bold statement about amalgamating mainland China and Hong Kong. As a student who loves shopping and traveling, Hong Kong, the tax-free, English-speaking, close-to-Guangzhou city, has been a great destination for me and perhaps many other expats living in Guangzhou. However, if Hong Kong is added to mainland China, Hong Kong could become like any other ordinary city of China from the use of RMB, payment of tax, and gradual elimination of British influence. Although the majority of China experts says that it is highly unlikely for Hong Kong to become a part of mainland China within five years, Xi’s firm words about not condoning “one country, two systems” indicates his plans to begin “China-izing” Hong Kong soon.
Finally, Chinese citizens’ unified support for Xi also aroused my interest. In many parts of the world, there are inevitably mixed opinions about a major political figure—some supporting, and some criticizing. However, reading many interviews from both Chinese and foreign news, I found out that almost everyone deems Xi a very wise, powerful, charismatic leader. Curious, I asked Chinese teachers I know, and they said, “Xi is very popular in China because he is very good at governing the country.” Whether the dominance of this opinion reflects the impact of Xi’s censorship or not, it seems to be undeniable that his popularity in China is widespread.
For more information, please visit cnbc.com and theguardian.com.
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