The Communist Party of China, otherwise known as CPC, on October 23, 2022, unveiled its new top leadership that will pilot the affairs of the world’s most populous nation in its new journey toward a great, modern, and socialist country in all ramifications.
At the first plenum of the 20th CPC Central Committee, following the party’s twice-a-decade national congress, Chinese President Xi Jinping, was elected General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee. The election of Xi was greeted by rapturous rounds of applause. Xi led the members of the newly-elected Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee namely Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang and Li Xi onto a red-carpeted stage at the Great Hall of the People.
According to the Constitution of the CPC, the highest leading bodies of the party are the National Congress and the Central Committee which it elects. Between plenary sessions of the Central Committee, the Political Bureau and its Standing Committee shall exercise the functions and powers of the Central Committee. The 20th CPC Central Committee was elected on October 22, 2022, at the closing session of the 20th CPC National Congress.
Addressing over 600 media representatives from within and outside the shores of China during the event, Xi expressed delight over the conduct of the congress, stating that the congress held high its banner, pooled all the strength, and promoted solidarity and dedication. The Chinese President expressed gratitude for the trust the entire party placed in the new central leadership.
Xi said: “We shall keep in mind the Party’s nature and purpose and our own mission and responsibility, and work diligently in the performance of our duty, to prove worthy of the great trust of the Party and our people.”
Xi also said that China, having completed its building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects, is now taking confident strides on a new journey to turn China into a modern socialist country in all respects. That journey, Xi added, is one that is “filled with glories and dreams” and will see China advance toward the second centenary goal, and embrace the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization.
In its two-step strategic plan, the CPC aims to basically realize socialist modernization from 2020 through 2035, and build China into a great modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious, and beautiful from 2035 through the middle of this century.
The world’s second largest economy is walking on a model of modernization that has not been seen before – the modernization of a huge population, of common prosperity for all, of material and cultural-ethical advancement, of harmony between humanity and nature, and of peaceful development.
According to Xi, “This is a great, yet enormous undertaking. The enormity of the task is what makes it great and infinitely glorious,” while also saying that the CPC and the Chinese people have sought long and hard to pursue a Chinese path to modernization, and the party must always act for the people on the journey ahead and rely on them in everything it does.
“We will always ride out the storm with our people and stay heart to heart with them, taking their priorities as ours and acting on their wishes. We will continue the hard work to turn their aspiration for a better life into a living reality,” Xi said.
Xi’s emphasis on the people echoed a report he delivered to the 20th CPC National Congress, hailing the great achievements of the new era, which came from “the collective dedication and hard work” of the CPC and the Chinese people.
In the past decade, China’s GDP has grown from 54 trillion yuan (about 7.6 trillion U.S. dollars) to 114 trillion yuan and come to account for 18.5 percent of the world economy, up 7.2 percentage points. China has remained the world’s second largest economy, and its per capita GDP has risen from 39,800 yuan to 81,000 yuan. The country has eradicated absolute poverty, and built the largest education, social security, and healthcare systems in the world.
Highlights of Xi Jinping’s Report to 20th CPC National Congress
The 20th National Congress of the CPC opened on October 16 at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Xi Jinping delivered a report to the congress on behalf of the 19th CPC Central Committee. The following are some highlights of the report.
Improving the People’s Wellbeing and Raising Quality of Life
This country is its people; the people are the country. Bringing benefit to the people is the fundamental principle of governance. Working for the people’s wellbeing is an essential part of the Party’s commitment to serving the public good and exercising governance for the people. We will stay engaged with our people and their communities, adopt more measures that deliver real benefits to the people and win their approval, and work hard to resolve the pressing difficulties and problems that concern them most.
Accelerating the Creation of a New Development Pattern and Pursuing High-Quality Development
To build a modern socialist country in all respects, we must, first and foremost, pursue high-quality development. Development is our Party’s top priority in governing and rejuvenating China, for without solid material and technological foundations, we cannot hope to build a great modern socialist country in all respects.
Pursuing high-quality development as our overarching task, we will make sure that our implementation of the strategy to expand domestic demand is integrated with our efforts to deepen supply-side structural reform; we will boost the dynamism and reliability of the domestic economy while engaging at a higher level in the global economy; and we will move faster to build a modernized economy.
Winning the tough and protracted battle against corruption
Corruption is a cancer to the vitality and ability of the party, and fighting corruption is the most thorough kind of self-reform there is. As long as the breeding grounds and conditions for corruption still exist, we must keep sounding the bugle and never rest, not even for a minute, in our fight against corruption.
We must show zero tolerance in opposing corruption and punishing wrongdoing, and we must take more forceful action to both prevent new cases and root out existing ones.
Upholding and Improving the Policy of One Country, Two Systems and Promoting National Reunification
The policy of One Country, Two Systems is a great innovation of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Resolving the Taiwan question and realizing China’s complete reunification is, for the Party, a historic mission and an unshakable commitment. It is also a shared aspiration of all the sons and daughters of the Chinese nation and a natural requirement for realizing the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Blood runs thicker than water, and fellow Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are one family bound by blood.
Promoting World Peace and Development and Building a Human Community with a Shared Future
The will of the people and the general trends of our day will eventually lead to a bright future for humanity. The world has once again reached a crossroads in history, and its future course will be decided by all the world’s peoples.
China remains firm in pursuing an independent foreign policy of peace. It has always decided its position and policy on issues based on their own merits, and it has strived to uphold the basic norms governing international relations and safeguard international fairness and justice.
Basic Information of the 20th National Congress of the CPC
The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China opened in Beijing on October 16, 2022, and closed on October 22, 2022. The CPC Congress endorsed the membership list of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and elected the 20th Central Committee of the CPC. The day after the closing of the congress, the First Plenary Session was held at which the Central Committee approved the membership of the CPC’s Politburo and its Standing Committee, the party’s most powerful decision-making body. A total of 2296 delegates were elected to represent CPC’s 96.7 million members and more than 4.9 million primary-level Party organizations.
Background and Preparation
Preparations for the 20th National Congress of CPC began in 2021 and ended with a plenary session of the 19th Central Committee, a few days prior to the 20th National Congress. Elections for the delegates of the 20th National Congress of CPC started in November 2021, as well as receiving and amending party documents.
The Opening Session
Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, on behalf of the 19th CPC Central Committee, delivered to the Congress, a report titled “Hold High the Great Banner of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics and Strive in Unity to Build a Modern Socialist Country in All Respects.” He pointed out that the 20th National Congress of the CPC is a meeting of great importance which took place at a critical time as the entire party and the Chinese people of all ethnic groups embarked on a new journey to build China into a modern socialist country in all respects and advance toward the Second Centenary Goal.
The theme of the Congress was ‘holding high the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics, fully implementing the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, carrying forward the great founding spirit of the Party, staying confident and building strength, upholding fundamental principles and breaking new ground, forging ahead with enterprise and fortitude, and striving in unity to build a modern socialist country in all respects and advance the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts.’
The opening session was presided over by Comrade Li Keqiang. All rose to their feet and sang the national anthem of China. Then all stood in silent tribute to the late proletarian revolutionaries of the older generation such as Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Liu Shaoqi, Zhu De, Deng Xiaoping, Chen Yun, etc, and the revolutionary martyrs.
Li Keqiang declared, a total of 2,340 of the 2,379 elected (2,296) and specially-invited (83) delegates to the 20th CPC National Congress were present at the opening session. He also extended a warm welcome to the non-CPC personages and other relevant officials who attend the congress as non-voting participants.
Closing Session
The 20th National Congress of the CPC came o a successful conclusion n the morning of October 22 at the Great Hall of the People n Beijing after electing a new CPC Central Committee and a new Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), and passing the Resolution on the Report of the 19th CPC Central Committee, the Resolution on the Work Report of the 19th Central Commission or Discipline Inspection and the Resolution on the Revised Constitution of the Communist Party of China.