The 19th Annual Communist Party Congress in China has pivotal to note the path China is to be at for the next Five years. Our team has been updating it via Twitter throughout the week. What is critical to note is that The Chinese President noted that has been analyzed by China Daily and available by clicking here. As we hope All enjoy this courtesy of the Fortune's Clay Chandler, there is closing thought he noted that we agree with: The man at the top (President Xi pictured above) is the only one that is indispensable.
Onward to the new week....
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| OCTOBER 21, 2017 |
We’re halfway through China’s crucial 19th Communist Party Congress. As of this writing (Saturday night China time) there have been no momentous revelations. It’s not that major policy or personnel issues have yet to be decided (undoubtedly they have); rather it’s that those decisions won’t be shared beyond the party’s inner circle until this week’s gathering officially concludes on October 24th.
Still, the first days of the congress offer tantalizing clues to China’s future. If nothing else, Xi Jinping’s opening speech to the congress on Sept. 18highlighted the degree to which he has consolidated his control over the party and the Chinese state. That speech was notable for its length (well over three hours) and convoluted phraseology. Pundits read much into the title of one section of the address: “Thoughts on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.” That’s not a formulation that trips off the tongue. But many China watchers interpreted it as a signal Xi aspires to stature equal to Mao Zedong in the pantheon of Chinese politics. “Socialism with Chinese characteristics” is the phrase associated with Mao’s successor, “paramount leader” Deng Xiaoping, who opened China’s economy to global trade and investment. But in the canon of Chinese communist party ideology, Deng’s ideas rank only as “theory” (lilun) a notch below those of Mao, which are enshrined as “thought” (sixiang). There is wide speculation that the Xi speech suggests the congress will vote to have “Xi Jinping Thought” written into the party’s constitution, which would elevate Xi to Mao’s level and, according to some experts, assure that he remains a dominant force in Chinese politics for the rest of his life.
Many have interpreted Xi’s repeated use of the phrase “new era” (xin shidai) as a sign he is laying the groundwork for bold departures from Deng’s thinking and the collective, consensus-driven approach to leadership that characterized the party after Deng’s death.
We still have no word on who will be chosen for the Politburo Standing Committee, the party’s highest decision-making body, or whether the party will stick to its internal rules for rotating membership of that group. Currently the committee has seven members, five of whom are due for retirement if the party sticks to its “seven-up, eight-down” rule, which holds that leaders 67 years-old or younger are eligible for reappointment to the Standing Committee while those 68 years-old or older are not. All eyes are on Wang Qishan, a key Xi ally who serves as chairman of the party’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. Wang is 69, but it’s widely assumed that Xi wants him to remain on the committee anyway. Many argue that if Wang stays, it would create a precedent for Xi, who is 64, staying on as party chairman after his second five year term expires. Oki Nagai, writing in Japan’s Nikkei Asian Review, argues that Wang will step down, and be succeeded by Li Zhanshu, a Xi ally who now serves as director of the party’s General Office.
It’s a good guess. My take—and this is pure speculation—is that Xi already is powerful enough that he doesn’t need to reappoint Wang. But to keep his options open he will probably try to avoid appointing to the standing committee young officials he thinks might potentially challenge him for a third term. The South China Morning Post suggests that neither Guangdong party boss Hu Chunhua, nor Chongqing party boss Chen Min’er will make the standing committee. Both men have been widely described as Xi loyalists, but they have also been tipped as possible Xi successors. The Financial Times has a nice primer on potential standing committee members here. But its headline sums up all we really know for now: “Only Xi is indispensable.”
More China news below.
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| | THE 19TH COMMUNIST PARTY CONGRESS |
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China's security lockdown. Airbnb has been banned, VPN apps disabled and nightclubs and bars in Beijing have been ordered to shutter. Across the country, security officials with assault rifles, batons and shields in hand are conducting drills and an increasing number of dissidents have been thrown behind bars. This New York Times piece looks at the lengths the Chinese government has gone to to ensure a disruption-free party congress this week. New York Times
Where have all the women gone? Fewer than a quarter of the 2,280 delegates at the 19th Communist Party Congress were women, prompting outlets like the BBC and New York Times to question if the Chinese Communist Party has a woman problem. The lower national retirement age for women and difficulties in being promoted beyond county and township level reinforce the political glass ceiling for women, say experts, who call for more state intervention to bolster women's progression in politics. BBC
With love from Pyongyang. North Korea sent congratulatory note to China on Wednesday to wish for "satisfactory success" of the 19th congress of the Chinese Communist Party. The letter came amid escalating tensions between the two countries, and contradicted fears that North Korea would conduct another nuclear test to coincide with the start of the five-yearly caucas. South China Morning Post |
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