Xi’s tightening grip and a hardened stance on the US. Here’s the important thing takeaways from China’s annual political conferences

Hong Kong
CNN
 — 

China’s most vital annual political conferences wrapped up Monday, leaving chief Xi Jinping firmly on the helm of a superpower that seems extra desirous to push again towards the United States than at any time in many years.

Much of what happened over 10 days in Beijing on the extremely choreographed conferences, referred to as the 2 periods, was pre-arranged – however additionally they threw up a couple of surprises.

Here are the important thing takeaways:

To long-term observers of Chinese politics, the conferences despatched an unequivocal message: the Chinese Communist Party is advancing and the state is in retreat.

The annual assembly of the nation’s rubber-stamp legislature and high political advisory physique is historically a stage for the central authorities and the premier to shine. But the celebration – and Xi – has more and more loomed giant over the occasion.

The National People’s Congress not solely endorsed an unprecedented third time period for Xi as president, but additionally permitted his sweeping reform plan to additional bolster the celebration’s position in all facets of decision-making and governance.

The overhaul grants the celebration much more direct management over the essential monetary and expertise sectors – on the expense of the State Council, China’s cupboard.

Under Xi, the celebration has more and more eclipsed the ability of the State Council, reversing efforts by late paramount chief Deng Xiaoping to introduce a level of separation between the celebration and the state.

The celebration – with Xi at its helm – has taken all decision-making energy into its personal palms, with the State Council decreased to the position of an executor.

Li Qiang, China’s new premier, drove the message dwelling Monday throughout his debut information convention.

When requested by a reporter to stipulate the objectives for the brand new time period of presidency, Li replied: “The job of the new government is to carry out and fully implement the decisions of the party’s central committee.”

Throughout the information convention, Li cited Xi seven instances and the celebration 11 instances.

A notable shift in tone on the two periods this yr was a extra forceful strategy in publicly pushing again towards the US – from the very high of the Chinese management.

At China’s annual train in political theater, it’s secure to imagine that no public remark was made with out having been fastidiously thought out.

So when Xi lashed out on the US in entrance of a bunch of presidency advisers representing personal companies final week, the sharpened rhetoric despatched alarm bells ringing for already fraught US-China relations.

“Western countries led by the United States have contained and suppressed us in an all-round way, which has brought unprecedented severe challenges to our development,” Xi mentioned.

Despite worsening bilateral relations, China’s high chief normally avoids straight attacking the US, and customarily refers solely to “Western countries” or “some developed nations” as an alternative.

Xi’s unusually direct remarks sign a notable escalation – one that’s anticipated to be rigorously studied and adopted by China’s total officialdom.

The subsequent day, China’s new international minister Qin Gang echoed Xi’s accusation, warning that if the US doesn’t cease containing and suppressing China, the 2 superpowers will certainly be pushed towards “conflict and confrontation.”

In one other signal of the hardening stance, China appointed a US-sanctioned normal as its new protection minister.

Gen. Li Shangfu, a veteran of the People’s Liberation Army’s modernization drive, was sanctioned by the Trump administration in 2018 for getting Russian weapons, together with an Su-35 fight plane and S-400 surface-to-air missile system.

Every yr on International Women’s Day, Chinese state media by no means fails to quote Chairman Mao Zedong’s well-known quote: “Women hold up half the sky.”

But the annual parliamentary assembly, which nearly at all times coincides with the event, is a obvious reminder of simply how few ladies maintain excessive workplace in China.

This yr, the gender imbalance is much more putting, as no girl has been appointed vice-premier beneath Li, China’s new premier. Li’s predecessor, Li Keqiang, had one feminine vice-premier in his cupboard for each phrases.

In Li’s new cupboard, there are solely three ladies – and 30 males.

The distinction is much more stark on the celebration’s facet.

In a reversal for gender equality, not a single girl was promoted to the 24-member Politburo on the celebration’s management reshuffle in October. For the primary time in 25 years, the celebration’s second-most highly effective group and govt policymaking physique is totally dominated by males.

No ladies has ever made it into the Politburo Standing Committee – the innermost sanctum of energy.

In a shock announcement on Sunday, Beijing retained a few of its present financial management, together with People’s Bank of China governor Yi Gang, a US-educated economist, and Finance Minister Liu Kun.

Both males have reached the official retirement age of 65 for ministers.

Yi, who was appointed China’s central financial institution chief in 2018, had extensively been anticipated to retire after being left off the celebration’s Central Committee at a key celebration congress in October.

Xi shattered the celebration’s retirement norms in October by staying on for an additional time period as celebration chief, breaking with precedents that leaders older than 68 ought to step down. He additionally made an exception for former Foreign Minister Wang Yi, selling the 69-year-old to the Politburo.

Analysts say by retaining Yi and Liu, Beijing needs to ship a message of continuity and consistency as financial headwinds loom at dwelling and overseas.