Xi Jinping is kicking off the historic ruling of China’s ruling Communist Party Congress on Sunday. He is poised to win his third term, making him the third most powerful ruler since Mao Zedong.
China’s 2022 Communist Party Congress, a landmark
China’s 20th Communist Party Congress is expected to Xi Jinping, the current leader reappointed for a third term. Additionally, it will be offering signs of what he plans to do with his extended time as the in charge. Big questions such as Xi’s standing within, goals on China’s economy ravaged by their zero covid policy, and Xi’s pledge to take control of Taiwan are floating in the air. The meeting is one of the most important in the party’s five-year cycle. Key appointments, party progress, party leaders, and the outlines for the future cycle are other important outcomes of the upcoming meeting.
The meeting, conducted at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People is expected to receive over 2,300 members representing the millions of members across the nation. Among them, there is a hierarchy forming a committee that is responsible for selecting the politburo. A politburo is a 25-member group with the seven most important and powerful heading as the politburo standing committee (PSC). The reshuffling creates new positions for the members and reflects their new ‘job titles’ within the party.
More on the upcoming meeting
While regular meetings reveal a smoother transition with Xi stepping down at the end of the second term, this is very difficult. In 2018, the Communist Party announced the scraping of constitutional limits. This gave Xi the ability to be a ruler or “dictator” for life. Several analysts believe the move is a linchpin in his coalition of power. The move also reverses the safeguards placed by previous leaders and gives him a Mao-like role in the political system.
However, several Chinese watchers are wondering who will be named his successor and who they will be preparing in the coming years. In recent years, under Xi, the nation’s bureaucracy has witnessed a reduction in checks of power and become less autonomous. As per Yuen Yuen Ang, in “a best case scenario, “China will be stable under Xi’s rule till 2035. However, if things turn south. “a sudden vacuum could invite violent power grabs”. Ang is an associate professor of political science at the University of Michigan,