In his speech at the opening of the Chinese Communist Party Congress, Xi Jinping painted a picture of a country whose “influence, reputation and shaping power” in the world had “significantly increased”. At the same time, China must prepare for “worst-case scenarios,” said the head of state and party leader in front of more than 2,200 delegates in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Xi’s speech focused on national security. He mentioned the term seventeen times. “National security is the basis for the national revival of the Chinese nation,” he said.
His predecessors, on the other hand, had prioritized the country’s economic advancement. But Xi sees the country threatened by external and internal threats. In his terminology, security means above all the preservation of the political system and the Communist Party’s claim to sole rule. Even in his remarks on military modernization, Xi focused more on “promoting the political allegiance of the armed forces” than on their combat effectiveness.
Xi Jinping received a particularly long round of applause for his comments about Taiwan. “We will continue to work for peaceful reunification with the utmost seriousness. But we will never promise not to use gun violence and reserve the option to use any means necessary,” he said. This is directed against “the intervention of foreign forces and a few separatists”.
Not a word about the Russian war of aggression
These formulations were not new. But they made it clear that China’s leader has no intention of easing military pressure on Taiwan. He did not directly mention the United States in his speech. Of course, everyone knew to whom his statements about “serious provocations by foreign forces” referred. Xi did not even mention the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, not even hinting at it.
The Chinese population and business representatives at home and abroad had hoped for a signal that Beijing was looking for a way out of the zero-Covid policy. But Xi made it clear that the strict corona measures are not expected to be relaxed anytime soon. He described the “people’s war against the virus,” which saved lives and prioritized people’s interests, as one of his greatest achievements.
The country had “received wide international praise” for its handling of the pandemic, he claimed. Xi Jinping made no mention of the harsh economic consequences of this policy. In doing so, he signaled to health professionals across the country that critical statements about lockdowns and mass testing will not be tolerated. Tens of millions of people in China are currently stuck in their homes, some just because of individual new infections in their neighborhoods. Travel, even between neighboring cities, involves a great deal of effort and the constant threat of forced quarantine.
The delegates in the Great Hall of the People all wore face masks. Only the leadership of the party came without. These included Xi’s predecessor Hu Jintao and former Premier Wen Jiabao. Also present was former Deputy Prime Minister Zhang Gaoli, who was accused of sexual assault by former professional tennis player Peng Shuai. The case led to calls for a boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics in February.
Climate diplomacy for the country’s reputation
Another success of the past five years, Xi said, is that the party has “protected China’s dignity” with “fighting spirit.” Two years ago, in a handwritten note to the Foreign Ministry, the head of state and party leader called on the country’s diplomats to “dare the fight”. After his speech on Sunday, it can be assumed that the country will continue its wolf warrior diplomacy. At the same time, it should step up its international propaganda. Xi has repeatedly called for China to be better “presented” to the world as a “credible, attractive and respectable country.” Ethnic Chinese abroad should be even more involved in these efforts. That is the job of the so-called united front, an organization that has grown in importance under Xi’s leadership in recent years.
In order to increase the country’s international reputation, China apparently wants to step up its climate diplomacy again. Anyway, Xi said his country will “actively engage in global strategies to combat climate change,” including promoting “cleaner and more efficient use of coal.” A few weeks ago, China suspended climate talks with the United States in protest at the visit to Taiwan by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and has not yet resumed them.
Xi acknowledged that the aging of Chinese society is a serious challenge. The country will establish “a system to promote the birth rate” and pursue a “national strategy to deal with the aging of society”. According to forecasts, China’s population will at least halve in the next 80 years.
Xi repeatedly emphasized the special nature of the Chinese way. The “Chinese modernization” will produce a whole “new form of human society”. Religious freedom is not provided for in this society. “Religions in China must be Chinese in orientation,” Xi said. He described the tightened censorship on the Internet and the ideologization of all areas of public life under his rule as achievements. “The online environment has fundamentally improved and a fundamental transformation of the ideological sphere has taken place”.
