Xi Jinping secured his third term as Party leader and has full control of the Politburo, the apex of political power, during the 20th national meeting of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Judging from Xi’s defending ideology more than the economy, scholars anticipate the CCP will only intensify its competition and confrontation with the West.
On Oct. 23, the CCP announced the seven members of the Politburo Standing Committee, the Party’s top leadership, with Xi as the party general secretary, and Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang, and Li Xi making up the rest.
No Collective Leadership
Historian Li Yuanhua said that the composition of Xi’s leadership team suggested that Xi dominates and controls the entire Politburo.Members are either Xi’s former subordinates or loyalists and define the Politburo Standing Committee’s role in “enforcing Xi’s policy,” he said.
Collective leadership by the committee no longer exists, according to Yuanhua’s analysis.
However, these allies weren’t necessarily political achievers.
Li used Cai Qi as an example. Cai forcibly evicted Beijing’s mass of low-income migrant workers from their communities and demolished their homes in just one freezing Beijing winter night.
His ruthless policy sparked public outrage. Even Beijing dignitaries demanded his resignation as Beijing’s party secretary.
Li Qiang, the incumbent Shanghai party secretary, is another example.
Xi’s Ideology Will Intensify Conflict
Jung-Chin Shen, Associate Professor at York University, in Toronto, Canada, expressed his concern about Xi’s thinking in going against the West.Shen said that Xi’s opening remarks at the 20th congress were heavily focused on national security, socialism, countering foreign interference, and included, for the first time, the use force for reunification of Taiwan, as a warning to the United States and other countries who may interfere in China’s Cross Strait relations.
In particular, Xi continued to emphasize enforcement of the zero-COVID policy, despite the sluggish real estate market and frustrated private economy.
Shen said, “It’s a clear indication that the economy has a rather low priority in the CCP’s policy.
“Ideology, especially the idea of countering the West, becomes its main policy framework.”
Coupled with the fact that Xi excluded the Youth League, that played a significant role in the economic development, from his Politburo standing committee, “No one can play the role of stepping on the brakes,” Shen explained.
He said the situation is quite worrisome. The escalated U.S.-China tension is different from the Cold War. The highly intertwined U.S.-China trade and economic system makes decoupling unfeasible. “But now it seems that Xi Jinping is going in another direction,” Shen stated.
Shen doubted the feasibility of this strategy.
Xi’s Worldview Leads Diplomacy
Former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd recently commented, “Under Xi, ideology drives policy more often than the other way around.”“This view will affect the likelihood of conflict in Asia.”
Yeh-chung Lu, Professor and Chair of the Department of Diplomacy, National Cheng-chi University, said Xi’s centralized power is reconfirmed by the arrangement of his top echelon.
Therefore, if there are any changes in foreign policy, the focus is “how Xi Jinping judges the world and calibrates the relationship with major powers,” he said.
He also pointed out that Xi no longer emphasized the claim, “East is rising and the West declining,” during the 20th national meeting, a signal of the change in his foreign policy.
Lu said Xi’s personal view of the West and the United States will have a major effect on the CCP’s foreign policy.
Wang Yi, the incumbent foreign minister, was promoted into the Politburo, the second highest level of power during the CCP congress; but Lu expects Wang will only enforce Xi’s will.
