Third term for Xi Jinping
PS Sreekumar
The 20th Party Congress of the Chinese Communist Party is scheduled to begin on October 16. The Great Hall in Beijing's Tiananmen Square is the venue for the week-long Party Congress. Political observers expect that this Party Congress is likely to take many important and core decisions.. The Chinese Communist Party Congress is held every five years. The last Party Congress was held from October 18 to 24, 2017. The importance of this conference is that it is meeting at a crucial time when the country is facing challenges from different quarters at the global landscape.
When Xi Jinping, returned to Beijing after attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, it was rumoured by the western media that he was detained and put under house arrest by his detractors in the Communist Party and People Liberation Army, following a power tussle. But after the picture of Xi Jing Ping attending a public ceremony in Beijing came out, the propaganda of the western media was proved to be false. Instead he has consolidated his powers.
Delegates to Party Congress
The total number of delegates participating in the current party congress is reported to be 2296. The delegates consist of Party leaders from various provinces, People's Liberation Army, various ministries, different sections of the government, and leaders from the society. Important decisions on the changes to be made in the Party Constitution, selection of leaders to various significant Party posts and the direction to be given to the Party and the Government for the next five years are discussed and decided at the Party Congress. The election of candidates to the Central Committee, Politburo and Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party are usually done at this conference. A decision was taken at the 2012 Party Congress that the delegates can discuss and elect leaders through voting. But when Xi Jingping became General Secretary, this decision was revisited and abandoned at the Party Congress held in 2017. It was rejected on the premise that this arrangement of discussion and voting is a breeding ground for corruption. In practice, members of the Central Committee, members of the Politburo and the Politburo Standing Committee are decided in advance of the conference by a select few of the party's top brass. . The party congress need to endorse the decisions already taken by the top leadership. Through these decisions it is possible to know with whom the party's power slum is with. The same thing will happen in the 20th Party Congress.
Zero- covid tolerence
The years passed by since the last party congress were full of challenges. The corona epidemic that broke out in the Wuhan province of China in the last months of 2019, spread all over the world and taken away the lives of tens of thousands of people and destroyed the livelihoods of millions , and destroyed the economy of almost all countries, was a black cloud looming on the chinese horizon. Xi Jinping took up the challenge and had taken very harsh measures to free the country from the grip of Corona. Chinese authorities declared vast areas under containment zone and put people in many provinces under house arrest for months with the goal to achieve the motto of "zero covid tolerance". Those who violated the restrictions and went outside the house were dealth with roughly by the army. Thus, under the shadow of dictatorship of Xi Jing Ping, China was able to control the Covid by using the soldiers of the People's Liberation Army. The credit for this went to no one else other than Xi. Above all, China's gains following the military confrontations on the Indo-China border, suppressing all voices of protest and subjecting Hong Kong to Chinese rule, dominating the South China Sea region over the opposition of western countries including the United States, and trying to frighten Taiwan with military might, gave Xi Jing Ping infallibility in the Chinese Communist Party and crowned him as the undisputed leader
Amendments to the Party Constitution
A major decision expected in this Party Congress is likely to be the nod to Xi Jingping to continue in power for a third term. The age limit fixed for Politburo members is 68 years. The 69 year-old Xi was already exempted from this age limit in the last Party Congress , so this won't be a hurdle for him. No leader in the Party was given the opportunity to remain in power for more than two terms since 1992. Jiang Zemin, who was elected as the General Secretary of the Party in 1992, handed over the position to Hu Jintao in 2002 after ten years. In 2012, Hu Jintao stepped down as General Secretary and was replaced by Xi Jinping. Since the provision of two terms fixed for the post of General Secretary was modified and removed in the last Party Congress, it looks certain that Xi Jing Ping would be given a third term in the post of General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party.
Will Xi become chairman?
One thing that remains to be seen is whether Xi Jingping would remain as general secretary or be elevated to the position of chairman. Currently, in addition to the position of General Secretary of the party, he is also the Chairman of the powerful Military Commission and the President of the country. The news leaked out indicates that there are moves to amend the Constitution by incorporating the provision to enhance his status to that of Chairman of the Party. "Xi Jingping Thoughts on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics " was incorporated in the Constitution in the 19th Party Congress. It is expected to be modified as "Xi Jingping Thoughts". With that, Xi Jingping would be elevated to the status of Mao Zedong , and Deng Xiaoping, who were the guiding lights of Chinese Communist Party, and his thoughts would become the guiding principle of the Party in the coming years.
A clear indication of how the party and the administration would proceed in the next five years would be made clear by Xi Jing Ping in his speeches at the Party Congress. Measures to overcome the slowdown in China's economic structure following Covid and put the country back on the path of growth, as well as plans to give direction to the country for the next five years in domestic and foreign policies, are likely to be unveiled at the party congress.
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