Chinese leader Xi Jinping cut short the Central Economic Work Conference held in Beijing on Dec. 11-12. He delivered a speech on the opening day and left for Hanoi the next day.
Xi’s trip to Vietnam was expected to take place on Dec. 14-16. Without a specific reason, both China and Vietnam decided to move Xi’s trip up a couple of days, according to a Bloomberg’s report.
Chinese state media, People’s Daily, reported Xi’s plane arrived in Hanoi at noon on Dec. 12.
This marks the first time in over a decade since Xi took office that he has been unable to fully attend the important annual Central Economic Work Conference.
At present, the reason for Xi’s sudden departure mid-meeting remains unknown to the public.
Mr. Wang Juntao explained that the ongoing reference to Mr. Li Keqiang’s proposed solutions within the State Council and economic departments could have led Xi to conclude that Mr. Li Qiang failed his job as the incumbent Premier, leading astray the direction of the economic meeting.
According to the informant, “The meeting was adjourned without consensus,” said Mr. Wang Juntao.
Although many of Xi’s current policies remain in line with those of Mr. Li Keqiang, such as attracting foreign investment and supporting private enterprises, Xi has also been steering national finances and finance toward elite and high-profile enterprises and industries. It is from this angle that Xi’s discontent may arise, explained Mr. Wang Juntao.
In March last year, the outgoing premier, Mr. Li Keqiang’s Government Work Report, prioritized policies to speed up economic recovery after the three-year pandemic control: stimulating domestic demand, increasing investment in society, and expanding foreign trade and investment as part of his strategies to resolve the economic issues. Expediting the construction of a modern industrial system was not the top priority.
However, the state mouthpiece Xinhua reported how Xi’s opinions dominated the Economic Work Conference in December. The focus was “prioritizing technological innovation to lead the construction of a modern industrial system” and “particularly harnessing disruptive and cutting-edge technologies to spur new industries, models, and dynamics, fostering ‘new productive forces.’”
Xi introduced the concept of “new productive forces” during his visit to Heilongjiang in September last year.
The newly appointed premier Li Qiang quickly adopted Xi’s economic decision in his government work report for this year. He placed the establishment of a modern industrial system as the foremost task of government work, introducing “new productive forces” to the agenda, whereas his predecessor’s expanding domestic demand and ensuring people’s livelihoods were no longer the primary objectives.
Mr. Wang Juntao believed that Xi held the idea that the Communist Party system possessed the advantage of centralizing resources to tackle significant endeavors, whereas Mr. Li Keqiang, during his tenure as Premier, prioritized maintaining people’s livelihoods and employment.
The new Premier, Mr. Li Qiang, has been steadily implementing Xi’s directives while also actively reducing Mr. Li Keqiang’s influence and restructuring the functions of the State Council.
Mr. Li Qiang set up the new rules for the new State Council on March 17 last year: to firmly carry out work under the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi at its core.
This March, it was announced that safeguarding Xi’s core leadership was the highest principle in amending the State Council Organization Law.
As for the consequence of the dismayed Xi, other than the fact that Xi moved his state visit to Vietnam two days earlier, “Due to potential mishandling of certain affairs by Li Qiang, he is constantly writing self-assessments and has yet to pass scrutiny. He is presently engaged in this process,” said Mr. Wang Juntao, citing a source as saying.
“According to the informant, ‘Within the Communist Party, such incidents invariably necessitate self-evaluations,’” said Mr. Wang Juntao.
