As the party conference begins at the China Congress, Xi Jinping advocates zero-Covid.

 

By Tessa Wong, Stephen McDonnell, and Yvette Tan

As the historic Communist Party meeting gets underway in Beijing, China's President Xi Jinping has been defending his contentious zero-Covid approach.

Delegates are probably going to give Mr. Xi another term as party leader, breaking with decades of convention. He described Zero-Covid as a "all out people's fight to stop the virus's spread. "The Programme has prevented deaths, but it has come at a heavy cost to the Chinese people and economy. Public apathy about lockdowns and travel restrictions is growing. Prior to the congress, Beijing was subject to stringent security measures, which caused anger in the capital and led to a rare and spectacular public demonstration on Thursday that criticized Mr. Xi and his Covid.

The subject of Taiwan, which China says is a part of its territory, was also raised by Mr. Xi. Taiwan, which is self-governing, views itself as separate from the mainland.

He spoke slowly and thoughtfully, drawing long ovation from the audience when he said that Beijing would "never pledge to relinquish the use of force" and that "total reunification of our nation must and will be realized. "Regarding Hong Kong, Mr. Xi said that Beijing had exercised control and brought about "government from disorder." Following 2019 pro-democracy protests, Beijing enforced a broad national security law on the region.

In addition, Mr. Xi alluded to conflicts inside China's political system, claiming that his leadership had "removed severe concealed risks in the party."

He has presided over a comprehensive anti-corruption campaign that has reached the highest levels of the party since taking office. However, detractors have characterized it as a political cleansing.

He also stated that China will quicken the development of its military, using the words "safety" or "security" 73 times in his remarks. The address was considerably shorter than what he said at the previous conference in 2017, lasting less than two hours. Analysts will be closely examining his speech for any indications of policy changes because it's possible that his remarks' word choice has been worked on for months. He will be able to surpass Mao Zedong's position as the most potent leader by winning a third term as CCP supremo.

To pick party leaders and discuss important topics, over 2,300 delegates are gathering.

Delegates are also anticipated to choose the Politburo Standing Committee, which is China's version of a presidential cabinet, during the congress. These leaders will then introduce themselves to the media. As they competed to strengthen the influence of their factions inside the party, leaders in the past used the twice-decade congress as an opportunity to advance their followers. However, according to observers, Mr. Xi's group now seems to be the only one present at the 20th Party Congress.

Leading members of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) made a statement a few days earlier recognizing him as "the heart" of the party and leadership, signaling the concentration of power. They also urged the party to rally around him even more tightly.

The three most important posts in China are presently held by Mr. Xi: general secretary of the CCP, head of the armed forces, and president. At the congress, he is anticipated to extend his tenure for the first two titles.

There are no term restrictions under the CCP. However, no leader has ever held office for a third term save from Mao, the creator of communist China.Xi Jinping described his route to an unprecedented third term as follows: From princeling to president The country's constitution used to contain a two-term restriction for the President, which reformer Deng Xiaoping instituted to avoid the emergence of a Mao-like figure.

However, Mr. Xi was able to do away with this restriction when, in 2018, China's rubber-stamp parliament repealed it, thus permitting him to continue serving as president indefinitely.

Mr. Xi has guided China on a course that is equal parts ambitious and autocratic since becoming office in 2012.In order to achieve his goal of "a great rejuvenation of the Chinese country," he has advocated for economic reform, less pollution, and decreased poverty. Additionally, he has started to crack down on both pro-democracy demonstrators in Hong Kong and Uyghurs in Xinjiang.But Mr. Xi still has to deal with a number of issues, like zero-Covid and, of course, youth unemployment, a sluggish economy, and the protracted real estate crisis.

How Xi's party is being ruined by zero-Covid

Many people will be keeping an eye on the congress to see if Beijing changes its foreign policy in any way, particularly with regard to the US, the other superpower in the globe.

Tensions with the US and other nations have increased as a result of Mr. Xi's efforts to increase China's influence overseas through the One Belt One Road initiative, claims in the South China Sea, backing for Russia in the Ukraine conflict, and recent military drills surrounding Taiwan.