Party Congress in China: Power cemented – scandal provoked

Chinese President Xi cemented his power at the party conference in Beijing. But first the head of state used the closing event to show what happens to critics in his system.

Disturbing scene at the beginning of the final event in the Great Hall of the People: Two men lead the former head of state Hu Jintao away in front of the assembled press. The 79-year-old predecessor of Xi Jinping looks surprised and obviously doesn’t want to leave the stands. The chair next to Secretary-General Xi then remains empty.

The background of the incident remains unclear, there is much speculation. Many observers see the action as a possible demonstration of power by the current and future head of state and party – and as a warning to his opponents within the party. Hu is not considered a supporter of Xi and his ultra-authoritarian and nationalist leadership style.

In return, the camp around Xi accuses him of letting the party go to waste during his tenure and doing too little to combat corruption.

Xi is cementing his power

Xi officially declared the party congress over. The approximately 2,300 delegates had previously decided on some changes to the party constitution that further cemented its central role. The delegates also gave their blessings to around 200 members of the new Central Committee of the Communist Party. The Central Committee directs the work of the party and implements the decisions of the party congress.

Prime Minister Li Keqiang is not among the members – that means he will retire. Because if he is not represented in the Central Committee, he cannot hold a post in the Politburo and its Standing Committee – the supreme governing body of the Communist Party and thus also of the People’s Republic.

A break with norms

Three other members of the Standing Committee are also not represented on the Central Committee. This gives Xi the opportunity to fill the Politburo and the current seven-member Standing Committee with familiar and younger members and further strengthen his power for years to come.

Tomorrow the new Central Committee will meet to appoint the leadership of the party. Xi’s re-election as general secretary will also be announced tomorrow.

The 69-year-old breaks norms, because after two terms at the head of the party and state, it was actually over. He also exceeds the internal party age limit. Xi has ruled with an iron fist for the past decade, transforming and tailoring China and the Communist Party. This makes him more powerful than any other head of state since long-term dictator Mao Zedong.

“A very successful takeover”

Ralph Weber from the University of Basel also connects Xi with “a very successful takeover of power”. The political scientist says that he took over the party when it was not doing well. He has managed to whip the party into shape through anti-corruption campaigns, through clever institutional interventions by small leadership groups and so on.”

Weber continued that it was a very successful career, which only recently came under more pressure for a variety of reasons. But if you look at it over the ten years that Xi Jinping has been in power, he has amazingly consolidated power and entrenched himself in all positions.

The country faces major challenges

The challenges for Xi Jinping in the coming years are great: The economy is in crisis – partly because of the economic war with the USA. But also because of the strict zero-Covid policy in the country, more and more people are annoyed by the tough lockdowns, travel bans and constant mass tests. Chinese society is aging quickly because too few children are being born.

In addition, China is increasingly isolated internationally. On the one hand, the People’s Republic has isolated itself more and more in recent years. On the other hand, many countries are reluctant to get involved with China – as can be seen in the recent discussions about the planned participation of the Chinese state-owned company COSCO in a terminal in the Port of Hamburg.