China Ends Third Plenum With No New Ideas, State Media Retracts Article Glorifying Chinese Leader

A man reads a newspaper near a front page photo of Chinese leader Xi Jinping on a story about the conclusion of the Third Plenum, a key economic meeting, at a display board on a sidewalk in Beijing on July 19, 2024. Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images

News Analysis

Beijing concluded its top political meeting, the Third Plenary Session of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), on July 18 with no new ideas. China’s state-run media also removed a 10,000-word article that glorified the Chinese leader, which it initially published on the first day of the meeting.

The four-day conclave was initially scheduled for the fall of 2023 but was delayed by nearly a year. The third plenary, or plenum, held every five years, is often used to introduce major reforms and address critical issues. Historically, it has been the stage for landmark policy changes, such as Deng Xiaoping’s introduction of the “reform and opening up” policy in 1978, which transformed China’s economy.

This year’s meeting was expected to address three main issues: how to respond to China’s economic crisis, especially in the financial system; personnel adjustments in the Party and government; and how to deal with embattled Central Committee members such as former Foreign Minister Qin Gang and former Defense Minister Li Shangfu.

Mr. Qin and Mr. Li were abruptly removed from their positions amid controversy and investigations. Mr. Qin resigned, while Mr. Li was expelled from the CCP for allegedly taking bribes.

No New Ideas

On the evening of July 18, state-run media Xinhua published a 5,000-word communiqué of the meeting. It outlined several “goals,” including addressing risks in key areas such as the real estate market, local government debt, and small and medium-sized financial institutions, boosting domestic demand, reforming the medical and health care system, and improving income distribution. Analysts criticized the third plenum for lacking new ideas and said it echoed previous official documents.

China expert and analyst Chen Pokong recently said in his YouTube program that the communique repeated phrases that the CCP has used in recent years. Despite the nine-month delay, there were no significant policy shifts or new concepts introduced.

In an interview with The Epoch Times on July 19, commentator Tang Jingyuan said that the communiqué seemed devoid of novelty, which is what Chinese leader Xi Jinping needs, he said.

Mr. Tang said that while many people at home and abroad hoped Xi would introduce economic policies reminiscent of Deng’s “reform and opening up,” Xi remains opposed to such changes.

“He postponed the third plenum to avoid changing his previous policies and directions because he believes that Deng’s approach would lead to the disintegration of the CCP and weaken his dictatorial power base,” Mr. Tang said.

Xinhua Feature Article Retracted

On July 15, the first day of the third plenum, Xinhua published a 10,000-word article titled “Reformer Xi Jinping.” The article called Xi’s rule a ”new era of reform“ and declared that China is ”now at a critical period for accelerating a new round of reform.” It praised Xi as another “outstanding reformer” after Deng, claiming that he had inherited and expanded on Deng’s work, enabling China to “continue its economic miracle” and create a so-called “new form of human civilization.”

Shortly after its publication, the article was removed from the state-run media, and all copies and traces of it were removed in mainland China. The full text remains only on the Hong Kong-based Wen Wei Po website, which republished Xinhua’s report on July 16. The posting and removal of the article have attracted considerable attention both domestically and internationally, and the reasons for the removal of the article have been widely speculated.

Mr. Chen said in his YouTube program that the feature article placed Xi on par with Deng, but that Xi wants to usher in a “new era” that puts Deng’s legacy in the past. Mr. Chen believes that the article’s portrayal displeased Xi, leading to the article’s removal. In addition, the article’s excessive praise for Xi, including inaccurate claims such as his investigation of the household contract responsibility system in 1978—two years before the term existed—probably contributed to its removal from the internet.

Mr. Tang said the withdrawal of the feature article reflects the struggle between Deng’s line and Xi’s line becoming public. Xi’s goal is not to continue Deng’s “reform and opening-up” policy but to take a different path. In this context, the Xinhua article effectively served as a covert criticism of Xi, leading to its removal.

On the same day that Xinhua published the lengthy article, the CCP’s political journal Qiushi published an article by Xi titled “We Must Uphold Confidence and Self-Reliance.” In the article, Xi stressed that the CCP must “walk on its own path,” “maintain independence and self-reliance,” and uphold the so-called “four confidences”—confidence in the path, the theory, the system, and the culture. He criticized the approach that blindly copied foreign models and stressed that China must firmly grasp its own development and progress.

Mr. Tang said Xi’s idea of “self-reliance” means decoupling from the West and building an independent economic and technological system. His “confidence” lies in his belief that the policies of increasing state control over the economy and returning to a planned economy are correct, and he is very confident in this direction.

Xin Ning contributed to this report.