Xi Jinping says ‘time and momentum on China’s side’ as he sets out Communist Party vision

President calls for conviction and confidence amid unprecedented global challenges during top-level meeting on Monday

Analyst says remarks show Xi sees ‘the conditions are right for the previously slumbering lion to roar and he will see to it that it does’

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President Xi Jinping’s remarks come six months before the party will mark its 100th anniversary. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 7:00am, 12 Jan 2021Updated: 4:16pm, 21 Apr 2021

Chinese President Xi Jinping has laid out his vision for the Communist Party for the next three decades, calling for conviction and confidence in the face of unprecedented global challenges.

Xi told a top-level meeting in Beijing on Monday that he believed “time and momentum are on China’s side”, despite challenges including the coronavirus pandemic, supply chain disruptions, deteriorating relations with the West and a slowing economy.

“The world is in a turbulent time that is unprecedented in the past century,” Xi said in the speech, according to party mouthpiece People’s Daily. “But time and momentum are on our side. This is where we show our conviction and resilience, as well as our determination and confidence.”

He was addressing leading cadres at a meeting on the fifth plenum – an important closed-door gathering in October on China’s medium- and long-term plans for social and economic development to 2025.

“At the same time, we must see clearly that, for now and until this upcoming period of time, while our country is at an important period of strategic opportunity for development, there will always be changes to our opportunities and challenges,” Xi was quoted as saying.

“The extensiveness of these opportunities and challenges is unprecedented but, all in all, the opportunities we face outweigh our challenges,” he added, calling for unity, diligence and flexibility to achieve the party’s goals.

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