CCP 20th National Congress part 1

Part one of a two-part digest of the major events, decisions and headlines from the 20th CCP National Congress. Let’s talk major decisions made during NatCon and their significance.

For those who might have missed it, China’s 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (NatCon, we’re calling it NatCon) took place last week in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. The CCP’s highest decision-making body convenes every 5 years and has gained more and more attention in recent decades. Every 10 years it decides membership of the Central Committee, the great personnel reshuffle that usually signals who will be next in line for leadership of the party and country.

The whole thing is a big speech fest, as it’s generally understood that most major decisions are made before the Congress behind closed doors. However, it’s also handy for getting an idea of the general direction the country’s going in, partly from leadership personas, and partly from vague but politically replete 2-hour speeches laboriously translated into English.

For example, the first speech was the Party Congress Report given by Xi at the opening ceremony, the English version of which can be found here. Luckily, it’s searchable, so if there’s a particular topic you’re looking for (like Taiwan) you can just search for it. Near the top, Xi highlights the main problems China faced 10 years ago, including:

• Issues with respect to upholding the Party's leadership, including… a slide toward weak, hollow, and watered-down Party leadership.

• China's economy was beset by acute structural and institutional problems.

• Misguided patterns of thinking such as money worship, hedonism, egocentricity, and historical nihilism were common, and online discourse was rife with disorder.

• Tightening resource and environmental constraints and environmental pollution were pronounced.

• The institutions and mechanisms for implementing the policy of One Country, Two Systems in Hong Kong and Macao were not well-developed.

The rest of the speech, and the majority of speeches made during the NatCon, are devoted to explaining how China overcame these problems during the past decade, and how it will continue to maintain peace, security, and prosperity into the future. Let’s take a look at some of the speeches, as well as some of the press releases and other decisions that have been made since last week.

Before we do, it should be obvious, but it’s worth stating that everything released to the public is deliberately formulated with the knowledge that every word will be scrutinised in detail by foreign commentators and policy-makers. That said, it’s not like they contain no information at all, and the information they do contain should be taken at face value as much as possible. What we can do is try and glean the general direction of Chinese politics, and try to make some predictions based on what we already know, without over-analysing or projecting!

Reports, speeches, decisions

One of the most important reports from NatCon is the “resolution on 19th CPC Central Committee report”, which is essentially an approval of a report delivered by Xi which “serves as a political manifesto and a guideline for action to achieve new victories on socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era.” The report itself focused on adapting Marxism to China’s condition using Xi Jinping Thought as a guide, national development, and party reform.

“We must put the people first; maintain self-confidence and stand on our own feet; uphold fundamental principles and break new ground; adopt a problem-oriented approach; apply systems thinking; and maintain a global vision, so as to open up a new frontier in adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of our times… The rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is now on an irreversible historical course.” Resolution on 19th CPC Central Committee report

There’s a lot of focus on Xi, how Xi’s specific leadership has allowed China to thrive over the past decade, and how under his continued leadership China will continue to grow and prosper. Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era (just XJT from now on) is praised as the core of the party’s theoretical direction and guiding philosophy.

The blend of traditional Chinese culture, Marxism, and 21st century reality continues, as all speeches emphasise how China needs to embrace its own culture, set its own path, and stand on its own two feet. Now that poverty has been eliminated, the main goal remains to achieve “the Second Centenary Goal of building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects and to advance the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization.”

There were a few amendments made to the constitution, the main two being one on Taiwan and one on Two Establishes and Two Safeguards. The two ‘establishes’ are essentially making Xi and XJT the core of the part, and the two safeguards are to protect the authority of the party, and the authority of the general secretary (again, Xi) over the party. On the Taiwan question, the constitution will include “statements on enhancing political loyalty in the military, strengthening the military through reform, science and technology, and personnel training, and running the military in accordance with the law; elevating the people's armed forces to world-class standards; fully, faithfully, and resolutely implementing the policy of One Country, Two Systems; resolutely opposing and deterring separatists seeking "Taiwan independence".”

NatCon concluded by confirming the election of a new Central Committee, with 205 members and 171 alternate members, and a new Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) consisting of 133 members (see here for a list of the new Politburo Standing Committee). 

Key messaging

The main takeaway from NatCon was that China is still on track to pursue its centenary goal of making China into a ‘great modern socialist nation’ and achieving ‘national rejuvenation’. A big part of this is obviously economic development and social prosperity, which aligns with China’s  broader international and military goals. 

Xi wants China to be more open to the world, stating that “just as China cannot develop in isolation from the world, the world needs China for its development.” One of China’s goals is to “bring development opportunities for the world, make global governance fairer and more equitable,” confirming the theory that China wants a greater leadership position on the global stage, possibly to promote an alternative vision to that of the US and the West. China wants to be seen as an “inspiration”, and that lifting 1 billion people out of poverty proves that “modernization does not simply equal Westernization, and every country can have their own modernization suitable for their respective countries.”

At the same time, the party has made a strong statement regarding the military, reaffirming its aim to build a “world class force,” which it frames as a political task but also pledges to stand firm in military matters. (I’ve just read a very interesting piece by a Chinese academic about how US action in Ukraine may have had a deterring effect on China’s actions in Taiwan, although not entirely preventative.)

Another key topic was that of party reform, which has become a lynchpin of Xi’s mandate since he took power. Although it’s become almost boring to talk about now, I think it is worth noting that the party/Xi does not see this task as something that can be completed, at least not in a relatively short period of time. Instead, it’s an evolving, continuous task that the party should carry out indefinitely, which means that any and every party member is potentially constantly in the firing line for perceived wrongdoings. It will be interesting to see how this plays out especially in the wake of covid, especially when the zero-covid policy is eventually dropped.

"A political party can only become invincible if it remains committed to self-reform, even though it has had a glorious past"

Coverage, or lack thereof

Apart from just reprinting 60+ pages of text and 1-page summaries of important speeches, how has the Chinese media chosen to represent NatCon? The answer can be found both in what they decide to print and what they decide to skip over.

Certain major events leading up to and during the congress (Bridge Man, Hu Jintao, campus posters) were not talked about at all in Chinese press, were heavily censored, or were explained away casually. We’ll be talking more about these events in the next newsletter. The focus has been more on looking at new leadership, especially in key areas such as Party Discipline, a personal pet project of Xi’s government.

Certain news highlighted by the press in the wake of the conference also speak to key policy directions. For example, a press release about a change in animal husbandry laws is short, but the timing of its release highlights the importance of food safety and self-sufficiency as an element of China's ‘standing on our own two feet’ vision. Another piece about tackling crime at the local level mentions “psychological counselling” and “intervention measures… to help the public maintain a positive mindset”, which feels like a reference to a general feeling of discontent among the population that has been making headlines in recent years.

There are many pieces devoted to China’s development course, with the party now aiming for “high-quality development, while enhancing the wealth distribution system with reasonable institutional arrangements to ensure fair division of the "cake" of wealth and avoid economic polarization.” Former leaders including Deng Xiaoping have been criticised for their policy of letting some people get wealthy first, a course the party is now beginning to steer away from, instead strengthening employment policies, regulating income distribution and supporting SMEs to further China’s growth. It seems the odds are becoming stacked against the mega-rich.

And a huge part of ensuring fair and equal development is, of course, fighting corruption. There’s a lengthy piece in China Daily about the new head of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, Li Xi, and emphasises the goal of the commission to “ensure that officials do not have the audacity, opportunity or desire to become corrupt.” This would tie in neatly with economic policies, as corrupt politicians and businessmen looking for favourable legislation tend to go hand in hand, something Xi is keen to clamp down on, with the aim of improving support for and confidence in the CCP.

The Chinese perspective

From the Chinese perspective, NatCon was a raging success. There was (literally) unanimous support for the new leadership decisions, and for Xi’s decisive role as supreme leader. An opinion piece in People’s Daily proclaims that NatCon “reminds the world what China is all about and its vision for building a community with a shared future with sincerity, prosperity, and happiness.” China Daily asserts that “the Chinese people should be confident of the history of the Party not only because of its glorious achievements, but also because it is set to win more battles and overcome even tougher challenges.”

“The course the Party has charted has a global significance: It not only reflects the maturity and stability of the CPC as a major party, but also injects certainty into a world beset by changes and turmoil.” - Global Times

It’s clear that the Chinese press has every confidence in China’s current leadership, and is all hands on deck to support the party’s charted course. But while the Chinese are apparently celebrating, Western watchers are less confident. What are the main concerns foreign China experts have? Find out in part two. Out… at some point. Probably early next week.