Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Sunday called for faster military development and announced no change in policies that have strained relations with Washington and tightened the ruling Communist Party's control over society and the economy.
China’s most influential figure in decades spoke as the party opened a congress that was closely watched by companies, governments and the Chinese public for signs of its economic and political direction. It comes amid a painful economic slump and tension with Washington and Asian neighbours over trade, technology and security.
The congress will install leaders for the next five years. Xi, 69, is expected to break with tradition and award himself a third five-year term as the party's general secretary, entrenching his vision of reasserting its dominance in the economy, society and culture following four decades of market-style liberalization.
Xi called for accelerating military and technology development to propel the “rejuvenation of the Chinese nation” in a televised speech of one hour and 45 minutes to some 2,000 delegates in the cavernous Great Hall of the People.
The party’s military wing, the People’s Liberation Army, needs to “safeguard China’s dignity and core interests,” Xi said, referring to a list of territorial claims and other issues over which Beijing says it is ready to go to war. The PLA is the world's second-largest military after the United States and is trying to extend its reach by developing ballistic missiles.
“We will work faster to modernize military theory, personnel and weapons,” Xi said in the speech, which was punctuated by brief bursts of applause from the masked delegates. “We will enhance the military’s strategic capabilities.”
Xi cited his government's severe “zero Covid” strategy, which has shut down major cities and disrupted travel and business, as a success. He did not indicate a possible change despite public frustration with its rising cost.
Xi on Sunday did not indicate whether he would pursue a third term as leader or when he might step down.
During his decade in power, Xi's government has pursued an increasingly assertive foreign policy while tightening control at home on information and dissent.
The move will confirm him as China’s most powerful leader in 50 years. (Source: 1News)
Beijing is feuding with Japan, India and Southeast Asian governments over conflicting claims to the South China and East China Seas and a section of the Himalayas. The United States, Japan, Australia and India formed a strategic group dubbed the Quad in response.
The party has increased the dominance of state-owned industry and poured money into strategic initiatives aimed at nurturing Chinese creators of renewable energy, electric car, computer chip, aerospace and other technologies.
The party has stepped up censorship of media and the internet, increased public surveillance and tightened control over private life through its “social credit” initiative that tracks individuals and punishes infractions ranging from fraud to littering.
Last week, banners criticizing Xi and “zero Covid” were hung from a pedestrian bridge over a major Beijing thoroughfare in a rare protest. Photos of the event were deleted from social media and the popular WeChat message service shut down accounts that forwarded them.
The president appeared to “double down” on technology self-reliance and “zero Covid” at a time when other countries are easing travel restrictions and relying on more free-flowing supply chains, said Willy Lam, a politics specialist at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
1News' Cushla Norman spoke to Taiwanese locals ahead of China's 20th party congress. (Source: 1News)
Xi made no mention of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which Beijing refuses to criticize. Ahead of the February attack, Xi issued a joint statement with Russian President Vladimir Putin saying they had a “no limits” friendship.
Xi defended a crackdown aimed at crushing a pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong, saying the party helped the former British colony “enter a new stage in which it has restored order and is set to thrive.”
Amnesty International warned Sunday that extending Xi’s time in power will be a “disaster for human rights.”
Xi’s government poses a “threat to rights not just at home, but globally,” the group’s deputy regional director, Hana Young, said in a statement.
Xi said Beijing refuses to renounce the possible use of force against Taiwan, the self-ruled island democracy the Communist Party claims as part of its territory.
Unification of the two sides “will be achieved,” Xi said.
Beijing needs to prevent “interference by outside forces,” he said, a reference to foreign politicians the ruling party says are encouraging Taiwan to make its de facto independence permanent, a step the mainland says would lead to war.
“We will continue to strive for peaceful reunification,” Xi said. “But we will never promise to renounce the use of force. And we reserve the option of taking all measures necessary.”
The ruling party elite agreed in the 1990s to limit the general secretary to two five-year terms to prevent a repeat of power struggles from earlier decades.
In 2018 Xi had a two-term limit on the presidency removed from China’s constitution.
The party is widely expected to amend its charter this week to raise Xi's status as leader.
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