Hong Kong: Chinese President Xi Jinping Despite the escalating crisis, he is pushing for a third term at the 20th Party Congress to be held in Beijing on October 16.
China’s decision Communist Party will hold its 20th national congress, reports CNN, at which Xi is widely expected to extend his grip on power for the next five years – a move that will boost his status as the country’s most powerful leader in decades. will strengthen.
Xi’s insistence on a zero-Covid policy has seen cities across China impose strict lockdowns to stamp out infections – an effort that appears to be increasingly futile in the face of the highly contagious omicron type.
Its often ruthless and chaotic enforcement – as seen during the two-month lockdown in Shanghai’s financial center – has sparked waves of public outrage, many of whom are frustrated by the endless restrictions on their daily lives.
The zero-tolerance approach has also crippled economic growth – a longstanding source of legitimacy for the party. Youth unemployment has hit a record high of 20 percent, CNN reports, while rural banking scams and a growing asset crisis have sparked major protests.
The Congress’s 25-member Politburo announced on Tuesday that preparations would begin in Beijing on October 16 at a “critical time” for the country, adding that preparations were “proceeding smoothly.”
That start date is consistent with tradition – in recent decades, the party has always held its congress between September and November.
But this year’s Congress is anything but traditional. As CNN reports, Xi, who has consolidated enormous power since taking office a decade ago, is widely expected to hold an unprecedented third term as China’s top leader, ending the 1990s. Breaking the convention set by its predecessors since the beginning of the decade.
In 2018, Xi removed the presidential term limit from the country’s constitution, a plan year. But for an authoritarian leader obsessed with stability, the months ahead have not exactly been an easy ride for it.
In addition, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights published a long-awaited report on Wednesday that the arbitrary detention of Uighurs and other mostly Muslim ethnic groups in China’s western region of Xinjiang is a “crime against humanity” – a challenge to Beijing. has repeatedly denied any human rights violations there.
Political obstacles have fueled intense speculation about Xi’s authority in some quarters of the overseas China-watching community, with some questioning his chances of securing a third term, CNN reports.
“I don’t think there is any question that Xi Jinping’s term will be extended,” said Deng YuwenFormer editor of a Communist Party newspaper who now lives in the United States on his YouTube commentary show.
“The confirmation of the start date of the 20th Party Congress shows that Xi is dead, and any opposition to Xi is powerless to change the situation,” Deng said.
Holding the Congress in mid-October also leaves some buffer time for Xi to attend major international events in November, such as the Group of 20 summits in Indonesia. “Xi has not left the country for almost three years and this has had a very negative impact on China’s diplomacy,” Deng said.
As far as the Chinese public is concerned, many have paid little attention to the Party Congress in the past – they have no role in the country’s political leadership change or key policies.
But this year, for those who are becoming increasingly impatient and frustrated by the endless lockdown and covid News of the trial, Congressional start date, has come as a long-awaited relief, CNN reported.
China’s decision Communist Party will hold its 20th national congress, reports CNN, at which Xi is widely expected to extend his grip on power for the next five years – a move that will boost his status as the country’s most powerful leader in decades. will strengthen.
Xi’s insistence on a zero-Covid policy has seen cities across China impose strict lockdowns to stamp out infections – an effort that appears to be increasingly futile in the face of the highly contagious omicron type.
Its often ruthless and chaotic enforcement – as seen during the two-month lockdown in Shanghai’s financial center – has sparked waves of public outrage, many of whom are frustrated by the endless restrictions on their daily lives.
The zero-tolerance approach has also crippled economic growth – a longstanding source of legitimacy for the party. Youth unemployment has hit a record high of 20 percent, CNN reports, while rural banking scams and a growing asset crisis have sparked major protests.
The Congress’s 25-member Politburo announced on Tuesday that preparations would begin in Beijing on October 16 at a “critical time” for the country, adding that preparations were “proceeding smoothly.”
That start date is consistent with tradition – in recent decades, the party has always held its congress between September and November.
But this year’s Congress is anything but traditional. As CNN reports, Xi, who has consolidated enormous power since taking office a decade ago, is widely expected to hold an unprecedented third term as China’s top leader, ending the 1990s. Breaking the convention set by its predecessors since the beginning of the decade.
In 2018, Xi removed the presidential term limit from the country’s constitution, a plan year. But for an authoritarian leader obsessed with stability, the months ahead have not exactly been an easy ride for it.
In addition, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights published a long-awaited report on Wednesday that the arbitrary detention of Uighurs and other mostly Muslim ethnic groups in China’s western region of Xinjiang is a “crime against humanity” – a challenge to Beijing. has repeatedly denied any human rights violations there.
Political obstacles have fueled intense speculation about Xi’s authority in some quarters of the overseas China-watching community, with some questioning his chances of securing a third term, CNN reports.
“I don’t think there is any question that Xi Jinping’s term will be extended,” said Deng YuwenFormer editor of a Communist Party newspaper who now lives in the United States on his YouTube commentary show.
“The confirmation of the start date of the 20th Party Congress shows that Xi is dead, and any opposition to Xi is powerless to change the situation,” Deng said.
Holding the Congress in mid-October also leaves some buffer time for Xi to attend major international events in November, such as the Group of 20 summits in Indonesia. “Xi has not left the country for almost three years and this has had a very negative impact on China’s diplomacy,” Deng said.
As far as the Chinese public is concerned, many have paid little attention to the Party Congress in the past – they have no role in the country’s political leadership change or key policies.
But this year, for those who are becoming increasingly impatient and frustrated by the endless lockdown and covid News of the trial, Congressional start date, has come as a long-awaited relief, CNN reported.