China’s Xi Jinping calls for military build-up amid tensions with US
Beijing – Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Sunday there would be no change to policies that have called for accelerated military development, strained relations with Washington and tightened the ruling Communist Party’s control over society and the economy.
China’s most influential figure in recent decades addressed the party’s inaugural conference, with businesses, the government and the Chinese people watching closely for signs of its economic and political orientation. We are in the midst of an economic recession and tensions between Washington and its Asian neighbors over trade, technology and security.
Congress will appoint leaders for the next five years. Xi, 69, is expected to break with tradition and serve a third five-year term as the party’s general secretary, and after 40 years of market-style liberalization, he will regain dominance in the economy, society and culture. solidifies his vision to reassert the
President Xi Jinping delivered a one-hour, 45-minute televised address to about 2,000 delegates in the gigantic Great Hall of the People, urging him to accelerate military and technological development to promote the “reconstruction of the Chinese nation.” I asked.
The Chinese Communist Party’s military wing, the People’s Liberation Army, must “protect China’s dignity and core interests,” Xi said, listing territorial and other issues the Chinese government claims are ready for war. mentioned. The People’s Liberation Army, the world’s second-largest military after the United States, seeks to expand its range by developing ballistic missiles.
“We will work faster to modernize military theory, personnel and weapons,” Xi said in a speech interrupted by brief applause from masked delegates. “Strengthen the military’s strategic capabilities”
Xi cited as a success his government’s tough “zero COVID” strategy, which has shut down major cities and disrupted travel and business. I wasn’t suggesting sex.
Parliament appoints party standing committees that govern the inner circles of power. The names of the economic officials won’t be announced until China’s formal parliament meets next year. But the party line-up, which is due to be revealed after parliament ends on Saturday, shows who is likely to succeed Premier Li Keqiang as chief economic officer and other positions.
Xi is widely expected to promote allies who share his ambition of state-led development. Analysts believe a slump, with economic growth dropping to less than half of his official annual target of 5.5%, will compromise and encourage proponents of market-style reforms and entrepreneurs who create wealth and jobs. I’m watching to see if I can force him.
Xi did not say on Sunday whether he would seek a third term as leader or when he would step down.
During its decade in power, Xi Jinping’s government has pursued an increasingly assertive foreign policy while tightening its control over information and dissent at home.
Beijing is at odds with governments in Japan, India and Southeast Asia over conflicting claims to the South and East China Seas and parts of the Himalayas. In response, the United States, Japan, Australia and India formed a strategic group called the Quad.
The CCP increased its hold on state-owned industries and funded strategic initiatives aimed at fostering Chinese creators in renewable energy, electric vehicles, computer chips, aerospace, and other technologies.
That tactic sparked complaints that Beijing was improperly protecting and subsidizing fledgling creators, and then-President Donald Trump shook the global economy when he raised tariffs on Chinese imports in 2019. It sparked a trade war.
Trump’s successor, Joe Biden, has upheld those penalties and tightened restrictions on China’s access to US chip technology this month.
The Chinese Communist Party has tightened its control over private sector leaders, including e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, by launching anti-monopoly, data security and other crackdowns. Under political pressure, they divert billions of dollars to chip development and other party initiatives. Stocks have plummeted in foreign exchange as the outlook is uncertain.
The party has stepped up media and internet censorship, increased public surveillance, and increased control over private life through its “social trust” initiative, which tracks individuals and punishes offenses ranging from fraud to littering.
Last week, banners criticizing Xi Jinping and “no new coronavirus” were hung on a pedestrian bridge over Beijing’s main thoroughfare in a rare protest. Photos from the event have been removed from social media, and his WeChat, a popular messaging service, has closed the account that forwarded the photos.
On Sunday, Xi said the party would step up technological development and “ensure the security” of food sources and industrial supply chains.
President Xi Jinping said the Communist Party would build “autonomy and strength” in technology by improving China’s education system and attracting foreign experts. He said Beijing would launch a “major national project” of “long-term importance,” but gave no details.
At a time when other countries are easing travel restrictions and relying on more free-flowing supply chains, Willie Lam, a political expert at the University of China, said the president is “towards technology independence and zero COVID”. “It looks like it’s doubling,” he said. Hong Kong.
Xi took the stage alongside party leaders, including his predecessor General Secretary Hu Jintao, former Premier Wen Jiabao, and Song Ping, a 105-year-old party veteran who sponsored Xi Jinping’s early career. His 96-year-old former president, Jiang Zemin, who served as party leader until 2002, was not seen.
The presence of past leaders shows that Xi Jinping does not face serious opposition at the top of the party, Lam said.
“President Xi has made it very clear that he intends to remain in power as long as his health permits,” he said.
Xi did not mention Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, which Beijing has refused to criticize. Ahead of the February attacks, President Xi Jinping said in a joint statement with Russian President Vladimir Putin that the two countries have an “unbounded” friendship.
Xi has defended a crackdown aimed at crushing Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement, saying the party helped the former British colony “enter a new phase of restoring order and prosperity”. rice field.
The Xi Jinping government has also faced criticism over complaints about mass detentions and other abuses of mostly Muslim ethnic minority groups and the imprisonment of government critics.
Amnesty International warned on Sunday that extending Xi’s tenure would be a “human rights catastrophe”. In addition to the situation in China, he pointed to Beijing’s efforts to “redefine the very meaning of human rights” at the United Nations.
The Xi Jinping government poses a “threat to rights not only domestically but globally,” Hana Young, the group’s deputy regional director, said in a statement.
President Xi Jinping said the Chinese government would refuse to give up the possibility of using force against Taiwan, an autonomous island democracy that the Chinese Communist Party claims is part of its territory. After the civil war, the two split in 1949.
Beijing has stepped up efforts to intimidate Taiwanese by flying fighter jets and bombers near the island.In August, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi became the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit Taiwan in a quarter century. After that, the campaign intensified.
Unification of the two sides “will be achieved,” Xi said.
The Chinese government needs to prevent “interference by outside forces,” he said, adding that the ruling party’s references to foreign politicians are encouraging Taiwan to perpetuate its de facto independence. there is
President Xi Jinping said, “We will continue to strive for peaceful reunification.” “But we never promise to renounce the use of force, and we reserve the option to take all necessary measures.”
The ruling elite agreed in the 1990s to limit the general secretary to two five-year terms to prevent a repeat of the decades-old power struggle. Its leader has also become chairman of the commission that governs the party’s military arm, the People’s Liberation Army, and holds the official title of president.
In 2018, he made clear his intentions when he removed from the Chinese constitution the provision limiting President Xi Jinping’s term to two terms. Officials said they allowed Mr. Xi to stay if reforms needed to be implemented.
The Chinese Communist Party is widely expected to revise its charter this week to boost Xi’s status as president after adding Xi Jinping’s personal ideology, Xi Jinping Thought, in a 2017 revision. The vague ideology goes back to what Xi considers the 1949 post-revolutionary golden age, and emphasizes the revival of the party’s leadership role.
Sun Yeli, the spokesperson for the competition, said: said on saturday The changes would “meet new requirements to advance the development of the party,” but did not give details.
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