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Xi Jinping prepares to extend his reign at 20th Party Congress

Next month, chairman Xi Jinping will extend his term in power for another five years, as the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) conducts its all-important 20th Party Congress.To get more news about when is china's 20th party congress, you can visit shine news official website.
Perhaps only the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II could compare to the pomp and ceremony that will accompany this congress in Beijing, with the weeklong conclave commencing on 16 October. It will be a highly orchestrated affair designed to showcase party solidarity, and to of course glorify the preeminence of Xi.
Xi remains firmly in charge of the one-party state, despite swirling rumors - propagated it seems by the Falun Gong and some Indian media - that a coup had occurred in Beijing. Military columns approaching Beijing and mass cancellations of flights were cited as "evidence" of Xi being put under house arrest.
This is not the case, however, as rumor mills ramp up ahead of such important CCP events. A total of 2,296 delegates have been appointed to the 20th Party Congress, including just over 200 full members and approximately 170 alternate members. They will rubber stamp Xi's third five-year term in office, something unprecedented since the excesses of Mao Zedong's reign.
Xi has carved out a niche as paramount leader, with no regulatory end in sight for the end of his tenure. To borrow a quote from George Orwell's Animal Farm, "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." Certainly, none is more equal than Xi. China's state constitution was amended in 2018 to eliminate any presidential limits, thus paving the way for Xi to remain in power indefinitely. Without doubt, Xi will retain his positions of CCP General Secretary and Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC).
In November 2021, the Central Committee canonized Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, claiming that it embodies "the best of the Chinese culture and ethos in our times and represents a new breakthrough in adapting Marxism to the Chinese context". The Party Constitution is sure to be amended next month.
Expected revisions will "establish the position of comrade Xi Jinping as the core of the central party authorities and the core of the whole party", and "establish the overriding status of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era". Xi's thoughts will be entrenched within the pantheon of CCP ideologies. Other revisions could be abolition of term limits for the CCP General Secretary and Chairman of the CMC; the Party Constitution does not currently stipulate the length of these two top posts. This is separate to the State Constitution, which was altered in 2018 to abolish the limit of two five-year terms.
Doctor Willy Wo-Lap Lam, a Senior Fellow at The Jamestown Foundation think-tank in the USA, Lam offered this observation: "Strongmen hate surprises - and will go the distance to ensure such events are carefully choreographed beforehand. This is why supreme leader Xi has repeatedly cautioned against 'black swans' appearing in Chinese politics. The putative Mao Zedong of the 21st century has solid confidence in the nation's artificial intelligence-assisted mass surveillance apparatus; so he has not been daunted by the spate of demonstrations that have broken out in several provinces over bank and real estate defaults and related scandals. Instead, most of Xi's energy has been consumed with finalizing personnel arrangements ahead of the 20th Party Congress that will consolidate the domination of his faction, and at the same time generate enough leeway to pacify opposition factions as well as party elders, many of whom have been disturbed by Xi's apparent Maoist restoration and his anti-US and anti-Western stance. "Creative new ideas will thus not appear at this meeting. The congress' main purpose is to eulogize Xi and ensconce him as undisputed leader for a third term. Eschewing the policy of collective leadership introduced to prevent a recurrence of Mao's errors as "Great Helmsman", Xi opted to concentrate all decision-making power in his own hands. His hold over such areas as finance, foreign policy, personnel and ideology will be strengthened after the 20th Party Congress, despite the presence of the Communist Youth League Faction headed by Premier Li Keqiang, and the Shanghai Faction previously led by former president Jiang Zemin. In the coming five years, Xi's power will be even more absolute.
The Central Committee will decide the make-up of the seven-member Politburo Standing Committee and 25-member Politburo. Their two most prominent remaining Communist Youth League Faction members are Li and Vice Premier Hu Chunhua. However, it is likely that one will disappear, and quite possible that neither will remain after October's congress.

Xi’s Core Status Reaffirmed as Party Unveils Congress Invitees

China’s Communist Party reaffirmed President Xi Jinping as its core, as it published the list of delegates invited to attend next month’s landmark twice-a-decade leadership summit.To get more news about the 20th CPC national congress, you can visit shine news official website.

The ruling party has selected 2,296 delegates from around the nation to attend the 20th Party Congress, the official Xinhua News Agency reported on Sunday. The announcement of the list brings Xi another step closer to clinching a precedent-defying third term in power at the pivotal event, which begins Oct. 16 in Beijing. In a Monday editorial, the People’s Daily newspaper urged delegates to closely align behind “comrade Xi Jinping as the core” of the party. “It is firmly believed that under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core and through the concerted efforts of all the delegates, the 20th CPC National Congress will be a congress of unity, victory and endeavor,” the newspaper wrote.

The Chinese leader hasn’t been seen in public since making his first foreign trip in more than two years earlier this month, breaking his self-imposed Covid isolation to rejoin the world stage at a summit in Central Asia. His subsequent absence is consistent with China’s Covid Zero requirements for international arrivals to undergo seven days of hotel quarantine, followed by three days of home isolation.

The absence fueled speculation over the weekend about whether Xi’s leadership had been challenged, which analysts at Eurasia Group Ltd. said “appear to have originated from social media actors who are common purveyors of misinformation and disinformation.” An announcement about the congress delegates would be extremely unlikely in such a scenario, they said.

“We expect more rumors about Xi’s position ahead of the congress, but they are likely to be unfounded, unless they lead quickly to visible changes in personnel, propaganda, or policy making that challenge Xi’s leadership or agenda,” analyst Neil Thomas and colleagues wrote in a note.
The delegates must now be approved by a committee for congress, Xinhua said. The list, which includes Xi and all existing members of the top-decision making Politburo, also features scientists, lawyers, health workers, sports stars and cultural figures, Xinhua said. About 620 of the 2,296 people were women, while some 260 came from the nation’s ethnic minorities.

Xi is heading into China’s most important political event facing mounting challenges at home and abroad. Domestically, economic growth forecasts are being slashed as his Covid Zero policy weighs on growth. Woes in the property market have led to a 12-month decline in property prices and protests among aggrieved home owners.

On the international stage, China is facing pressure from the US and its allies over its human rights abuses in Hong Kong and Xinjiang, as well as Beijing’s growing military pressure on the self-ruled island of Taiwan, which the party considers a breakaway province. Meanwhile, Xi’s declaration of a “no limits” friendship with Russian President Vladimir Putin weeks before Moscow invaded Ukraine has put China’s war stance under scrutiny.