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    All eyes on Xi Jinping as China’s 19th Communist Party Congress starts tomorrow

    Synopsis

    The 19th edition of the congress assumes significance for Xi as he will have far greater ability to choose his colleagues than he had in the last congress held in 2013.

    ET Bureau
    NEW DELHI: Top leaders of the Communist Party of China are set to meet in Beijing beginning Wednesday for the critical once-in-five years party congress that is expected to further strengthen President Xi Jinping's power to pursue an aggressive policy abroad.

    The 19th edition of the congress, which begins on Wednesday, assumes significance for Xi as he will have far greater ability to choose his colleagues than he had in the last congress held in 2013.

    This meeting is also important as it will allow Xi to outline his agenda for the next five years, including a foreign policy that is expected to get aggressive vis-a-vis India and other neighbours. The developments in Beijing will be closely watched in Delhi’s policy circles as much in Washington and other world capitals.

    "China under Xi no longer follows the philosophy ‘hide your strengths, bide your time’. It is expected that Beijing would continue to display its strength during Xi's second term in office," pointed out a former diplomat who had served in China.

    The future and any adjustments in mega One Belt One Road Strategy (OBOR) will be shaped by Xi’s clout following his re-election at the Congress. India’s firm stand on both OBOR and during the Doklam face-off has sent a message that Delhi is no longer a pushover amid China's attempt to dominate global discourse, officials here point out on condition of anonymity.

    Xi remains firmly at the top after spending the past five years consolidating his power. And all eyes are at the congress will be on top leadership appointments, especially the seven-member standing committee of the Politburo, China’s main decision-making body, and 15 other members of the politburo who command various policy portfolios. Also important is the order in which the men emerge because this will indicate the new pecking order, according to China watchers. The appointments will provide important clues about policy priorities in Xi’s next term, China watchers pointed out.

    “We do know a great deal about what these men will be meant to do in the five years that follow the Congress. They will be expected to support current Chinese leader Xi Jinping in his quest to govern China. They will show their support through doing the jobs allocated to them… Xi likes to cover the country’s policy turf and he places himself in charge of as many areas as possible. This makes him appear a strong leader who gets things done,” Ryan Manuel of Hong Kong University said in his article ‘Xi’s time to party’ for Australia-based East Asia Forum.

    The congress has been the decisive force in China’s governance for almost 70 years now. But it has become much more important to the world now because of China’s clout in the world economy and global affairs. China’s global rise and international engagement infer that there is more at stake for the world at this party congress. There are naturally more anxieties about leadership transition in China than there have ever been. An aggressive China is reason to worry for India, Japan and other South East Asian states with which Beijing has territorial disputes. Europe too remains circumspect of Chinese designs and this has coincided with rising resentment against China in Africa.

    Speculation in the lead up to the congress has focused on who Xi will elevate and who he will demote or sideline in the standing committee. It is widely expected that Xi will remove Jiang Zemin loyalists from the standing committee. The appointments will provide important clues about policy priorities in Xi’s next term as China attempts to overtake the US as the number one global power by dominating the Indo-Pacific region.

    Appointments to the standing committee and politburo will also provide indications about future succession plans. Some analysts anticipate a further dilution of the standing committee from seven to five members (Xi reduced the number of top leaders from nine to seven at the last congress), which will further concentrate power in Xi’s hands. Some party-watchers have suggested such a move will signal Xi’s intention to break with convention and stay on as general secretary of the CCP beyond two five-year terms.


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    Download The Economic Times News App to get Daily Market Updates & Live Business News.

    Subscribe to The Economic Times Prime and read the ET ePaper online.

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