China After A Historic National Party Congress

(Photo By Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)

The People’s Republic of China emerged from a bloody civil war in 1949, with the victorious Chinese Communist Party determined to establish industrialization and socialism. The Party leaders recognized that they had little to no experience organizing such a transition, so they turned to the great communist power at the time: the USSR.  Since 1949, China has been governed by the Chinese Communist Party, and this has shaped the country’s democratic system. 

In China, there is a massive bureaucratic system that extends from the top all the way to local branches of government. These bureaucracies are supported by massive organizations encompassing key sectors of the population, like trade associations, teachers associations and youth leagues. These organizations make it easy for the government to transmit and implement policies efficiently and uniformly across the country. Importantly, no associations independent from the Chinese Communist Party are allowed to function. At the heart of the CCP is the Central Committee and subsequently the State Council. Constitutionally, the legislative power resides in the hands of the National People’s Congress and its Standing Committee, while the executive power lies with the State Council and its Standing Committee. In reality, this is not the case, as power truly resides with the State Council, led by the premier, who has the power to appoint as many vice-premiers, councillors of state, heads of committees and commissions as it sees fits. All these members form the Standing Committee, where the premier has the final decision-making power. This Standing Committee of the State Council has day-to-day decision-making authority and its decisions are equal to law. 

According to the CCP constitution of 1982, the National Party Congress is the highest decision-making body in the country. However, since the National Party Congress only assembles every 5 years, the Central Committee has defacto power to act when Congress is not in session. Additionally, the Political Bureau can act in the name of the Central Committee when the latter is not in session, and the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau guides the work of the Political Bureau. The Secretariat is then charged with the daily work of the Central Committee and the Political Bureau. The general secretary of the party then wields tremendous power as they preside over the Secretariat and is responsible for convening the meetings of the Political Bureau and its Standing Committee. All these different governing bodies were established to separate powers and ensure that no person could rise above the party since Mao’s rule.

However, since his election to the position of secretary-general in 2012, Xi Jinping has successfully consolidated his power in all organs of power and risen to a position of unparalleled control of the Party. His rise was spectacular and unexpected. Xi Jinping was born on June 15th, 1953 in Beijing. His father was Xi Zhongxun, a senior Communist Party official and former guerrilla commander in the civil war. His father was denounced and imprisoned during the Cultural Revolution, and the future president was sent to the countryside. He returned in 1975 for university, and then joined the military as an aide in Central Military Commission and Defense Ministry. An impressive political career followed, with Xi Jinping becoming the provincial governor of many regions and climbing the ranks of the Chinese Communist Party, joining the Political Bureau, the Standing Committee and becoming vice-president of China in 2008. He then successfully is elected general-secretary in 2012, a top party position and one that allowed him to navigate and influence all the different political organizations in the Party. 

An important historical precedent to note is that following Mao’s Cultural Revolution, the Communist Party chose a series of reforms to avoid one man consolidating so much power within the Party again. The highest positions, general secretary of the party, president of China and commander-in-chief of the People's Liberation Army, would be distinct and held by different people. Xi Jinping changed that policy. In 2013, in addition to his post as general secretary of the Party, he became president of China and later commander-in-chief of the army. The president has spent the last 10 years consolidating his power within the Party, using his power to appoint ministers and senior party members that would follow his lead and agree with his policies. Under his rule, China has grown into the world's second-largest economy, rivalling the United States, but has also come under scrutiny for human rights violations. The CCP has been accused of mass detentions, torture, mass surveillance, political disappearances, forced labor and sexual violence. The president has been accused of ruthlessly purging the Party of any opponents, and throughout China, various opposing actors of factions would be put down and silenced. Supreme Leader Xi Jinping’s rule has been controversial, but he was re-elected for a second 5-year term as president and has maintained a solid grip on the Party and the country. 

The 20th National Party Congress would prove to be the president’s most deft political maneuvering yet, and a historic event. As mentioned above, the National Congress Party is the highest decision-making body in China, but it only convenes every five years. It is also important to note that since the 1982 constitution, a president was only allowed to serve 2 terms, and all politicians serving in the Political Bureau must retire at the age of 68. Xi Jinping changed that. In 2018, he amended the constitution to allow for a third presidential term. This decision was upheld in 2022, when the recent National Party Congress ratified the president’s unprecedented third term and his position as general-secretary without objections. The National Party Congress also unanimously accepted the new Political Bureau members, all Xi Jinping’s allies and supporters, now forming one of the most powerful bodies in China. The president’s power was also visible in the selection of the 205-member Central Committee, now stacked with Xi loyalists, and no longer includes more moderate leaders like Li Keqiang, the departing premier, and former Vice Premier Wang Yang. Additionally, the 2,300 delegates all approved the proposed work reports, as well as amendments to the party charter, further solidifying Xi’s power and stamping his authority over the whole country. 

The impact of this historic turn of events is yet to be seen. Politically, President Xi Jinping is stronger than ever, with the strongest legislative and executive bodies under his influence and full of his supporters. However, China still faces severe issues that will be difficult to resolve. Domestically, the COVID-19 pandemic has ravaged the population, and the Chinese government has imposed some of the harshest measures globally to combat the virus. These intense lockdowns have affected production and economic growth, as many businesses and factories were shut down. The lockdowns also made it difficult for many to access health services or buy food. China has also emitted most greenhouse gases in the past 10 years than any other country, putting it at risk for air pollution as well as water and soil contamination. These new conditions will be dangerous and can affect the health of the Chinese population. Internationally, China faces tense relations with the United States, protests in Hong Kong and an increasingly uneasy situation regarding Taiwan. It remains to be seen how President Xi Jinping will respond to these issues, but it can be said with certainty that he has full control of theChinese Communist Party and should not expect any opposition to his rule.