At the party conference of the Communist Party in Beijing, it is already foreseeable that head of state and party leader Xi will continue to expand his power. In his opening speech, he prepares the 2,300 delegates for difficult times and the "worst cases". The next five years are crucial.
China's head of state and party leader Xi Jinping warned of "potential dangers" and difficult times at the start of the Communist Party Congress in Beijing, which takes place only every five years. In a keynote address to around 2,300 delegates in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, the President called for "preparing for the worst cases".
In the speech, heavily ideological, Xi called for resolutely following his party leadership to build a "modern socialist country". The next five years are crucial for this. Internationally, the party leader saw "immense risks and challenges" as well as "global changes that have not been seen in a century".
Xi Jinping praised China's "necessary" strict zero-Covid strategy, which has brought "enormous, encouraging achievements" in both the fight against the pandemic and economic development. As the rest of the world tries to live with the virus, China continues to pursue a zero-tolerance goal - with lockdowns, mass testing, quarantines and contact tracing slowing down the economy.
Xi Jinping praised China's Hong Kong SAR's transition from "chaos to governance" and condemned alleged foreign interference in Taiwan. China will wage an "important fight against separatism and interference" in Taiwan, Xi said. Beijing sees the democratically governed island state as a breakaway territory that should be reunited with China, if necessary by force. The Russian war of aggression against Ukraine has raised fears that Beijing could use a similar approach in its dealings with Taiwan.
The focus of the party congress, which takes place only every five years, is the expansion of Xi Jinping's power and his re-election for a third term. The delegates should anchor his ideology even more deeply as a guideline in the party's constitution and appoint a new central committee. At the end of the week-long party conference, the delegates are to vote on a further term for President Xi.
The delegates also elect the approximately 200 members of the Central Committee, a kind of party parliament. This body, in turn, appoints the 25-member Politburo and the all-powerful Standing Committee - the highest level of leadership - as well as the Secretary General. The composition of the Standing Committee - currently seven men including Xi - is expected to be announced the day after the end of the party congress.
The party congress is taking place under strict precautionary measures because of the zero-Covid policy. Organizers and journalists had to go to a cordoned-off area two days before the start of the party conference.
