Why Hong Kong should give Xi Jinping time to realise his ‘modern socialist’ mission and ‘new era’ vision

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President Xi Jinping is seen off by Chief Executive Carrie Lam after he visited Hong Kong to mark the 20th anniversary of its return to Chinese sovereignty and to swear her in as the new leader of the special administrative region, on July 1, 2017. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 2:00pm, 4 May 2018Updated: 12:34pm, 15 Oct 2020

During his first five-year term (2012-2017) as the country’s president, and as general secretary of the Communist Party of China, Xi Jinping galvanised the top leadership to tackle corruption, not only within the party but also in the People’s Liberation Army, and in the private sector as well.

Xi has attended many international conferences to spread the word on China’s working style of “reform and opening up”, and to confer with political, financial and global dignitaries.

During his first term as president, China strengthened its position as the world’s second-largest economy.

On October 18 last year, at the 19th party congress in Beijing, Xi announced that China had entered a “new era”, with the Communist Party at its helm, that would transform China by 2050 into a modern socialist state with Chinese characteristics: prosperous, strong, democratic, and culturally advanced.

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And on March 11, the National People’s Congress (NPC) in Beijing amended the national constitution to include the “Xi Jinping thought on socialism with Chinese characteristics”.

A second amendment to the constitution was a statement that the party leadership was the defining feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics.