Summary
It has been an extraordinary and historic day in China. Here are the main developments:
China’s Xi Jinping secured a precedent-breaking third leadership term on Sunday and introduced a new Politburo Standing Committee stacked with loyalists, cementing his place as the country’s most powerful ruler since Mao Zedong.
Shanghai Communist Party chief Li Qiang is likely to succeed Li Keqiang as premier when he retires in March.
The other members of the seven-man Standing Committee, China’s top governing body, are Zhao Leji and Wang Huning, who return from the previous committee, and newcomers Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang and Li Xi. Li Qiang is also new to the Standing Committee. All are perceived to have close allegiance to Xi, 69, who was also re-appointed on Sunday as chairman of the Central Military Commission.
The unveiling of the Standing Committee and the larger 24-member Politburo comes a day after the closing of the ruling Communist Party’s 20th Congress, where amendments were added to the party charter aimed at cementing the core status of Xi and the guiding role of his political thought within the party.
The new Politburo contains no women members, where previously there was at least one, and has reduced in number to 24 from 25.
The Standing Committee lineup is further confirmation that Xi’s grip on power is undiminished by the events of a tumultuous year, including a sharp economic slowdown, frustration over his zero-Covid policy, and China’s increasing estrangement from the West, exacerbated by his support for Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
More from Helen Davidson – the Standing Committee was formally selected by the powerful Politburo, the ranks of which were also revealed on Sunday. Shockingly, the new Politburo contains no women members, where previously there was at least one, and has reduced in number to 24 from 25.
Xi and the members of the Politburo Standing Committee:
Updated
Here is some more reaction via Reuters:
Ja Ian Chong, political scientist, National University of Singapore.
“It certainly seems to be a consolidation of Xi’s position. This means that policies will be more directly attached to Xi for good or ill. I guess that translates to more focus on party-state control over business, less dependence on imports even as the PRC (People’s Republic of China) seeks to export. So probably more direct party-state direction of the economy. Investment will likely seek to meet those above goals, especially if they can bring in technology. So while there may be opportunities for investors, they have to look to both market forces and political preferences more. So more of what we have already been seeing.
“Probably no lifting of Covid-zero policy in the near future, and more assertiveness in foreign and security. Even more broadly, US-PRC friction will continue to grow.”
Dylan Loh, assistant professor, Nanyang Technology University:
“It’s quite clear that the Politburo have been stacked with Xi loyalists and that would mean he has a much freer rein and mandate in pursuing his domestic and foreign policies as collective leadership and decision making has been de-emphasised over coalescing around Xi and implementing his decisions. It seems that he has not elevated a potential successor for now, which gives him the flexibility for a fourth term. Regarding investment, I do not think China’s policies will turn sharply because of this line up, I think by and large Xi’s priorities have not changed.”
“Wang Huning’s presence also indicates to me that the ideological bent of the party and Xi will continue and even deepen.”
Helen Davidson has some snap reaction to Xi’s speech:
Quite a short speech from Xi Jinping just then, announcing the line-up of the new Standing Committee. All are seen as Xi loyalists, with the surprise addition of Cai Qi. Hu Chunhua was nowhere to be seen. 59-year-old Hu was considered to be the least Xi-aligned prospect and, having risen through the ranks as a member of the Communist Youth League faction, was perceived by some analysts as a potential threat to Xi - in as much as that is possible in the current context.
Xi’s speech touched on several of the same points he made during his 104-minute address at last Sunday’s Congress opening. He warned again of “choppy waters” and “dangerous” storms in China’s future dealings with the world. But he said China’s economy would continue “opening up”, and with global development and Chinese development both needing each other. China has hit economic troubles in the last year or so, with major slowdowns in growth. But he said China had created the twin miracle of fast economic growth and long term social stability, and these fundamentals would not change - suggesting the tight grip he has over the people’s lives and freedoms would remain.
He praised the successes of the CCP in boosting the prosperity of the Chinese people, and reaffirmed commitments to grow even more, into a “modern socialist nation”. He again pledged to achieve “rejuvenation of the Chinese nation”, a goal which requires the annexing of Taiwan. Before leaving the stage, he invited the world’s media to visit China, saying he “welcomes unbiased and truthful stories about China”. He then takes no questions.
Updated
Some analysis is coming in via Reuters:
“In terms of policymaking, it does mean that there is likely to be more deference to Xi Jinping’s own views about how to move the country and the economy forward,” said Alvin Tan, head of Asia FX strategy at RBC Capital Markets in Singapore.
“An abnormally lopsided victory for one faction, which is rare in the tradition of the Communist Party, in the past there would be a rough balance of power,” said Willy Lam, Senior Fellow at US think tank the Jamestown Foundation.
“It means there won*t be any checks and balances. Xi Jinping also has total control over the larger Politburo and Central Committee,” he said.
Economic growth ‘downgraded’ as key party goal
Chris Miller, professor at Tufts University, Massachusetts, said Congress has “reaffirmed Xi’s decisive role in ruling the Communist Party, marking a continued shift away from collective leadership of party elites toward a personalised dictatorship.”
“It also appears to have confirmed the downgrading of economic growth as a key party goal, relative to other agenda items such as zero-Covid and the party’s political and ideological control.
“On tech, the key theme was self-sufficiency in science and technology, which is to be expected given the increasing decoupling of the US and Chinese tech sectors,” professor Miller said.
Mini profile of Li Qiang
Li Qiang, the party secretary of Shanghai and a Xi ally, is likely to be appointed the next premier after Li Keqiang steps down from premiership in March after two terms.
After it was revealed on Saturday that Wang Yang, previously thought to be a top contender for the post, was excluded from the list of some 200 central committee members, Li emerged to be a strong premier candidate in his current capacity as Shanghai’s party chief.
Shanghai has historically been a breeding ground for top national leaders. While Li’s prospects might have been dented by the chaos of Shanghai’s protracted Covid lockdown, analysts say Xi values loyalty and trustworthiness above all and Li’s strong rapport with Xi over the years has put him in good stead. Li was Xi’s chief of staff from 2004 to 2007 when Xi was Zhejiang province’s top party boss.
After Xi became China’s top leader, he promoted Li first to governor of Zhejiang and then party secretary of Jiangsu province, providing him with the regional governing experience and credentials he needed for bigger roles.
Unlike most of the previous premiers, Li had no experience as a vice premier, but analysts say Li could be made a vice-premier in the next few months by the National People’s Congress Standing Committee and could then be appointed premier in March.
Li has proven himself to be a loyal follower of Xi - even when Shanghai’s two-month Covid lockdown caused widespread discontent and exacted heavy economic cost, Li insisted on strictly implementing the “zero Covid” policy in Shanghai according to “the spirit of the important instructions by Party Secretary Xi Jinping.”
Mini profile of Cai Qi
Cai Qi was the big surprise entry to the PSC. Although he had featured on some long-lists of potential candidates, the Beijing party secretary had not been widely tipped as a likely member.
His entry is another sign of how Xi values both loyalists and people he knew rising up through the ranks. Like Xi, he spent many years in Fujian province at the start of his career, and moved on to Zhejiang.
More recently he has been a prominent champion of the Zero Covid policy embraced by Xi, and successfully oversaw the 2022 winter Olympics.
Xi ended his speech with an invitation to the world’s journalists to visit China.
It’s worth noting that conditions for journalists - both foreign and local - have diminished greatly under Xi’s rule. US journalists from major outlets were expelled in 2020.
Some quick reaction from China watchers:
Li as premier also confirms that we're not seeing an end to zero-covid any time soon.
— James Palmer (@BeijingPalmer) October 23, 2022
That's the conclusion of this press event and the week-long Party Congress has been concluded. #China is now into the third five-year rule under Xi Jinping, with the top leadership fully stacked with his loyalists. https://t.co/q7CTsjGN3i
— William Yang (@WilliamYang120) October 23, 2022
Xi appoints allies to the CPC standing committee
Xi Jinping has finished speaking.
Reuters reports that Shanghai Communist Party chief Li Qiang followed Xi onto the stage at the Great Hall of the People, meaning he is likely to succeed Li Keqiang as premier when he retires in March.
The other members of the seven man Standing Committee, China’s top governing body, are Zhao Leji and Wang Huning, who return from the previous committee, and newcomers Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang and Li Xi.
All are perceived to have close allegiance to Xi.
The speech is ongoing.
“China’s development can’t leave the world and the world’s development also needs China,” says Xi.
Xi says China has created the twin miracle of fast economic growth and long term social stability. These fundamentals will not change.
China will “open its door ever wider”, and will pursue “high quality development” he says, using a term which is being increasingly heard from Chinese officials no longer able to talk about China’s high speed growth which has dramatically slowed in recent months.
Updated
Xi is still speaking. He has said China must remain on high alert for challenges “like a student on never-ending exams”.
He says the party “can only become invincible if it is committed to self reform, even if it has had a glorious past.” He said the party is stronger and more dynamic because of its struggles and achievements in the last century.
Xi’s political thought now officially drives the party’s ideology - not just because he is the current leader but also after constitutional changes this week enshrined him as being at the “core” of the party.
Updated
Here is Xi Jinping (C) and other new members of the Communist Party of China’s Politburo Standing Committee:
Xi is repeating his warnings of “choppy waters” and “dangerous storms” to come - it’s heightened language compared to previous meetings which were more focused on peace and development, and reflects how much more isolated China has become from the west, with numerous disputes and tensions.
Xi is praising the CCP’s work in achieving its first centenary goal of “moderate prosperity for all”, and says the work now is for the second goal of achieving a modern socialist nation, and the “great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation” - a goal which requires the annexation of Taiwan.
“We have fought long and hard to open a Chinese path to modernisation,” he says. “The enormity of the task is what makes it great and infinitely glorious… Successive generations of Chinese have devoted themselves to this glorious goal. We should always remember their dedication and sacrifice.”
Mini profile of Li Xi
A loyal stalwart of Xi Jinping, Li Xi is already part of the top leader’s core inner circle. Li started his career in the party’s powerful the Organisation Department and rose steadily through the ranks in a series of key positions in the provinces of Shaanxi, Shanghai, Liaoning, and finally Guangdong over a period of 18 years.
As the party chief of affluent Guangdong province which borders Hong Kong, he has already been in the 25-member Politburo for the past five years and is one of the most powerful non-Standing Committee politicians in the country. Li is the top official responsible for the development of the Greater Bay Area, Xi’s master plan for an integrated economic powerhouse of nine Chinese cities with Hong Kong and Macau.
Updated
“I was reelected as the general secretary of the CPC central committee,” Xi says, before presenting the six other members.
They are: Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang, and Li Xi
Xi Jinping has been confirmed as leader of China for a precedent-breaking third term
Xi Jinping has been confirmed as leader of China for a precedent-breaking third term, after a week-long political meeting eliminated key rivals and strengthened his political power. Xi and the six members of the new Politburo Standing Committee have just walked on stage.
Xi has been confirmed as the general secretary and is going to make some remarks.
Xi Jinping has walked out at the front the group.
The press conference is beginning – stay tuned.
The stage is set in Beijing:
Xi Jinping opened the Congress meeting last week with a speech laying out his vision for the next five years in China.
Helen Davidson and Emma Graham-Harrison looked at the key take-aways:
Some scenes from the party congress area over the past few days:
Across seven decades of turmoil and change, one thing about China’s leadership has remained unchanged. It is all male.
Men led China into the famine of the Great Leap Forward, through the convulsions of the Cultural Revolution and during the economic opening of the 1980s and 90s. In Xi Jinping’s “new era” of digital authoritarianism, men remain in charge of the country.
The Communist party has run China for 70 years, and in that time no woman has ever been a member of China’s Politburo Standing Committee, the small group that runs the country, much less led the party or been made President or Premier.
Emma Graham-Harrison asks, where are the women at the top of Chinese politics?
On Saturday Xi Jinping strengthened his power as leader and elevated his status within Communist party (CCP) history, with major political resolutions announced on the final day of a key political meeting.
The CCP congress approved amendments to its constitution, including the “Two Establishes” and “Two Safeguards”, aimed at enshrining Xi as at the core of the party and his political thought as its underpinning ideology.
A list of reappointed delegates also confirmed the premier, Li Keqiang, would be retiring from politics, along with several other senior party figures. Analysts said their exclusion was a strong sign that the next politburo standing committee (PSC), to be unveiled on Sunday, would be dominated by Xi’s allies and his power would be further consolidated.
Helen Davidson has the details here:
Analysis
Verna Yu has spoken to some experts about Xi’s third term could mean for China.
Chen Daoyin, a political commentator formerly with Shanghai University of Political Science and Law said after the 20th party congress, China is expected to continue its current conservative and hawkish stance. He said domestically, it will continue to suppress dissent and internationally, it will be confrontational and adopt the “dare to fight” spirit as mentioned by Xi many times during the congress. He expects China to clash with the United States and Europe on issues over sovereignty, security and development.
“‘Struggle’ is the main theme of this congress: It will ‘struggle’ internally and externally. It will ‘dare to fight’ and be ready for tit for tat,” said Chen.
Willy Lam, a senior fellow at Washington-based think tank Jamestown Foundation, predicted the personality cult surrounding Xi will exacerbate. The party and country risk becoming a “one-voice chamber” where only one voice will be heard. The supreme leader has almost totally abandoned the institutional reforms started by Deng Xiaoping and largely followed by ex-presidents Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao.
There was high drama at the closing of Congress on Saturday when former leader Hu Jintao was led out of the Great Hall of the People.
Hu, who is 79, and stepped down as head of the party 10 years ago, seemed confused and reluctant to leave his seat on stage.
His unexpected exit prompted rampant speculation.
It is unclear why he was removed, but China’s official news agency said he was feeling unwell.
Emma Graham-Harrison reported on Hu’s unscheduled departure:
Updated
What happens today
Today we are expecting Congress delegates to elect the Standing Committee - the apex of Chinese political power at which Xi is set to sit firmly at the top.
The Standing Committee is then expected to be unveiled to foreign and domestic media at a press conference around noon (0400 GMT, 3pm AEST) at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People.
A list of officials in the new Central Committee earlier revealed that four out of seven members of the Standing Committee will be replaced, allowing Xi to further pack the top body with loyalists.
“Whichever way you look at it, it’s almost a total victory for Xi,” Willy Lam, a political analyst at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, told Agence France-Presse.
The move will allow Xi to get a third term as China’s president.
So what exactly is the Chinese Communist party’s Congress meeting, and why is it so important?
Helen Davidson has the answers.
When Xi Jinping was 13 years old, at the height of China’s Cultural Revolution, he was denounced as a counter-revolutionary before a frenzied crowd in Beijing. Among his accusers was his own mother, forced to join in the taunting.
China’s future leader was targeted mostly because his father, a top Communist cadre, was purged by Chairman Mao Zedong. His fall dragged the family down too; Xi’s half-sister died, reportedly after intense abuse.
Half a century later, the teenage boy publicly humiliated in the capital has become China’s most powerful ruler since Mao, and perhaps – given his singular control of a superpower – the most powerful man in the world.
Hu Jintao ‘not feeling well’ when he left China congress, says state media
Former Chinese president Hu Jintao was “not feeling well” when he was escorted out of the closing ceremony of a congress of the ruling Communist party on Saturday, according to state media.
China’s official news agency Xinhua said in a tweet late on Saturday: “Xinhuanet reporter Liu Jiawen has learned that Hu Jintao insisted on attending the closing session of the party’s 20th national congress, despite the fact that he has been taking time to recuperate recently.”
A second tweet said: “When he was not feeling well during the session, his staff, for his health, accompanied him to a room next to the meeting venue for a rest. Now, he is much better.
Read the full story here:
Summary and welcome
China’s president Xi Jinping is poised to secure a historic third term in power, cementing his position as the nation’s most influential leader since founder Mao Zedong.
Xi is all but certain to be unveiled as general secretary of the ruling Communist Party again - tilting the country decisively back towards one-man rule after decades of power-sharing among its elite.
His anointment will cap a week-long gathering of the party faithful in China’s capital during which high-ranking cadres endorsed his “core position” in the leadership and approved a sweeping reshuffle that saw several top officials step down.
Follow the developments here.
