Chinese leaders will assemble on October 16 for the CPC Congress, a two-decade-long gathering of the Communist Party. More than 20 senior officials will attend. This time, according to Chinese media, the leadership is anticipated to discuss the nation's strategy for the following five years as it struggles to navigate the challenging domestic and international environments. According to the Communist Party of China and its official mouthpiece, the Congress will be essential to China's ability to achieve the second of President Xi Jinping's two centenary goals, which will see China reclaim its former position as a major world power by the year 2049.

Every five years, the Congress meets with the goal of bringing about a change in leadership. The emphasis would be on personnel matters rather than in-depth policy deliberations, according to the Chinese media. Setting long-term strategic goals for the nation will be high on the agenda. At the conclusion of the Congress, the Chinese President will also proclaim an unprecedented third term as the Party Chief. While Xi remains in power, the remainder of the leadership, including the Politburo and the Politburo Standing Committee, will undergo significant change.

The year 2049 has been mentioned by the CCP before. Steps to achieve their goals by then would also be discussed in Congress. There is no doubt that Xi Jinping won't be alive or able to witness that moment as a leader. The question then becomes: How do you advance the following generations? Many people who Xi Jinping believes are capable of doing it are being brought with him. And in the meanwhile, those individuals who went too far in terms of corruption were expelled. The CCP has expressed the desire for the “great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation” by 2049.

The 2049 China plan is a personal ambition of Xi Jinping

By the end of this Congress, it will be intriguing to see if Xi keeps two of her positions or all three. However, I believe there is no disputing the reality that he is currently China's most powerful leader since Mao Zedong. Numerous comparisons have been made between Xi Jinping and Mao Zedong. That may very well be the case given his size and the amount of influence he has. However, Xi Jinping is a reformer too. That puts him in contact with Deng Xiaoping. He is reversing course. Mao kind of did that. He did, after all, trade for an autonomous China, but he lacked much administrative expertise. Many of the policies he tried to implement were unsuccessful. When Deng arrived, he brought about a lot of pragmatism, but after that, there was an issue with corruption and a one-party state. An aggressive US that wants to keep China weak politically and economically is Xi Jinping's concern.

China has maintained that the Russia-Ukraine war remains an internal matter

The Russia-Ukraine war is ongoing during the time of this Congress. China has close ties with Russia. As is well known, the US is supporting Ukraine, and so is the western world. An energy crisis and worldwide supply problems have also been brought on by the war. Meanwhile, criticism of China's aggressive behaviour in the Indo-Pacific is rising, which has exacerbated tensions between China and the United States as well as between China and other Indo-Pacific nations like India. These topics are likely to be discussed in this important Congress.

Russia-Ukraine war and the zero covid policy

However, it is unlikely that Congress will talk about foreign policy objectives. The real purpose of this is to determine the country's course. But, the viewpoint in China on the Russia-Ukraine war is different. With the aid of Taiwan, relentless daily pressure, the media, and disinformation efforts, the US is attempting to force China into a position akin to that of Russia and Ukraine. I mean, there were rumours that Xi Jinping was placed under house arrest not so long ago. Ironically, that was the subject of the same rumour five years ago, just before the last meeting. So it does appear that a game is in progress. China is struggling to advance as the US struggles to maintain its dominion. There will be opposition.

China's zero covid policy has been criticised for being too aggressive 

The last 2-3 years have been difficult for the world. The 2 years of the pandemic and now the Russia-Ukraine war. In times like these stability is key. Changing horses midstream and at this point would not seem like a great idea. As for the Russia-Ukraine war, China believes and has maintained a policy of non-interference. They see that this was a war that was in essence pushed on Russia by the US. And Europe with their expansion of NATO. People can have different views about that, but that is the Chinese view.

Similarly, the rest of the world sees Beijing as the aggressor in the region in multiple ways and has expressed its awareness of China's hegemonic designs and expansionism. But at the end of the day, yes, this congress is important, and we'll have to wait and see which direction China moves in at the end of this congress. 

In addition to consolidation of power, there will be discussions on China’s zero-covid policy. There have been reports that they would continue with it anyway, but there is growing opposition to it. The aggressive trace and isolate policy has been in practice for years. It has repeatedly locked down millions and shut down manufacturing hubs such as Shenzhen. The jury’s out on whether this remains to be the best route to take to address China’s Covid-19 problem. Only time will tell.

Is Xi as powerful as Mao? What to expect from the 20th CCP Congress

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