New members in the top echelons of the Communist Party of China will confirm the power shift in favour of Xi Jinping, tilting the factional balance almost completely in his favour, as he rides on a “modernisation” mantra into his third term at the Communist Party of China’s 20th national party congress which concludes on October 23.
Four new members will be selected to the politburo standing committee and nearly fifty per cent of new faces -as only 12 out of 25 politburo members have been retained in the central committee- will turn the tide in his favour. The new Central committee list does not include Chinese Premier Li Keqiang; Wang Yang, chairman of China People’s Political Consultative Conference; Han Zheng, vice premier and Li Zhanshu, National People’s Congress chairman.
The PBSC members who stay are Wang Huning and Zhao Leji besides Xi himself.
Only a CC member can be on the politburo standing committee. Therefore, the apex body is likely to get four new members who will be Xi’s core team. The next step will be to get the politburo stamp on the amendment approved of the party constitution to enhance Xi’s term.
The central committee chosen at the 20th party congress on Saturday has 205 full members and 171 alternate members. The full members include one Tibetan, two Mongolians and a Ughyur demonstrating the first step towards consolidation of power by Xi and a clear message that uprising or violent conflicts will be clamped down upon. There are around 11 women and nine ethnic minorities on the list.
Speculation is rife that the four new PBSCs can be Ding Xuexiang, Li Qiang, Li Xi, Chen Min’er and Hu Chunhua. The final list of 13 new politburo members followed by the seven-member standing committee will only come by October 23.
Other important leaders in the central committee to be watched are Qin Gang, the Chinese ambassador to the US who is speculated to have the ability to catapult into the role of foreign minister. However, Wang Yi, the incumbent foreign minister, remains on the CC list. He can get politburo member Yang Jiechi’s position as director of the office of foreign affairs. Meanwhile, Central Military Commission's second-ranked vice chairman Zhang Youxia sticks on and can rise to first-ranked vice chairman. As expected, the factional balance is expected to be tilted heavily in Xi‘s favour in the apex bodies.
Renmin Lingxiu ( people’s leader), core leader and a variety of titles have been bestowed on Xi Jinping in the past. No new title so far, instead his role as general secretary of the Communist Party of China’s central committee, president of China and chairman of the party’s central military commission is getting cemented in his third term.
The 20th National Congress enters its last leg on October 23. The Great Hall of the People in Beijing is witnessing unprecedented moments as Xi enters another decade of his rule, unlike any of his predecessors after the Chinese communist party founder Mao Zedong died in 1976.
Xi’s third term will have many challenges ahead - economic, military and diplomatic as he also looks to building China’s economy independent of the US, a tall task given the yuan and dollar are interlinked and any dream of building yuan as an international currency is still a far cry. Xi has to deal with the economic crisis within post-pandemic before he looks outward. The next task will be to build the Chinese military at par with the US as, despite the technological push and modernisation efforts, the comparisons are difficult on many fronts given the US also has greater strategic advantage and diplomatic reach.
The world communist meetings have been of keen interest to Indian left parties. CPI general secretary D Raja said Chinese president Xi Jinping entering his third term is a landmark event at a time when imperialist forces are gaining strength and war mongering has increased triggered by US military presence, particularly in Indo pacific region.
“What purpose does the US have to establish a military presence in Indo pacific region, Korean Peninsula? The rise of imperialist forces is a matter of concern for the world and the Russia-Ukraine crisis is the biggest example,” he told The Week.
If the CCP sends an invite after the party congress, the Indian left parties may oblige. “We participated in a meeting after the 19th party congress. We do not participate in the party congress but once it’s over, communist parties across the world can get together,” he said.
As Xi rises in stature both within and outside China, the communist parties around the world are expected to rally behind.
“China has achieved its goals in poverty alleviation. It was a stated goal in its five-year plan. It has its internal problems, (Hong Kong and Taiwan included ), but Xi’s focus on redistribution of wealth pursuing common prosperity to end inequality is a model to be appreciated,” said Raja.
Due to Covid protocols, not many foreign invites have been sent. CPC events are held post the party congress for foreign delegates where Indian left parties have participated in the past, last one being the event after the 19th part congress. CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury and CPI leaders virtually joined the centenary celebrations of the CCP in 2021.
The foreign invitees to CPC events are mostly three sets of people - those who have political affiliation with a communist party within their country and may or may not hold an office, those who hold a position in any communist party and also those with whom the United Front Work Department has built good relations over years. The third category is an evolving list as China continues to become stronger in its influence operations around the world.
This time, the foreign delegates wishing Xi a third term are from South Africa, Maldives, Barbados, Pakistan, Nepal, Bosnia, South Sudan, Seychelles, Serbia, Japan, Germany, Italy, and Cambodia to name a few.
But those witnessing Xi’s rise most closely are leaders from Taiwan - around ten Taiwanese representatives were chosen for the event. They are people who have roots in Taiwan but moved to China’s mainland later on. Some have families still living in Taiwan and most of them travel between China and Taiwan frequently organising exchanges between the two sides. This aspect will gain significance in Xi’s third term as he wants to fulfil his unification dream, something the Taiwanese government and its people have outrightly rejected.