Congress delegates embrace Communist Party slogan pledging support for Xi Jinping
- The ‘two establishments’ has been a consistent theme in panel discussions at the five-yearly gathering, according to Xinhua reports
- It refers to establishing Xi as ‘core’ leader and establishing his political doctrine, and its importance has been emphasised by Politburo members
When the congress ends on Saturday, the more than 2,200 delegates are expected to endorse amendments to the party’s constitution to include Xi Jinping Thought as its governing principles, and elect a new policymaking Central Committee.
06:23
Xi Jinping charts China’s future course at 20th party congress
A new line-up of the top Politburo Standing Committee will be unveiled when the Central Committee holds its first plenary session the next day.
Experts say that the amendments – which will put Xi Jinping Thought in parallel with Mao Zedong Thought – will present a challenge for anyone who might oppose Xi.
The country’s political elites also endorsed the “two safeguards” at the meeting – safeguarding Xi’s role as core leader and the party’s absolute authority.
What Xi Jinping’s shortened congress work report did not mention
Congress delegates – elected to represent the provinces and regions, state units and agencies, and the military – have been busy studying Xi’s work report since Sunday, meeting in small groups for discussions presided over by party leaders, especially Politburo members.
According to the Xinhua reports, all Politburo members at those meetings have emphasised the importance of the “two establishments” in their speeches, and the few who did not use the slogan instead highlighted their absolute loyalty to Xi.
For example, Wang Yang, chairman of advisory body the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, praised the “two establishments” for providing a sense of “certainty” in a chaotic world.
Ding Xuexiang, who is seen as a front runner to join the Politburo Standing Committee, hailed Xi’s achievements in the past decade and pledged support for the “two establishments”.
The message was similar from Hu Chunhua and Liu He, both vice-premiers.
Meanwhile, General Xu Qiliang, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission, told People’s Liberation Army representatives that they must unswervingly “obey the commands of Xi” in all their actions.
Xie Maosong, a senior fellow with the Taihe Institute and a senior researcher at the National Institute of Strategic Studies at Tsinghua University, said there had been a consensus among party leaders to endorse both the “two establishments” and the “two safeguards” last November.
“The consensus was already reached then, and there was no noise about it at all,” he said.
Xie said the panel meetings being held at the congress were an important forum for delegates to present an image of unity in pledging loyalty to Xi and his leadership. He said they were also expected to get an understanding of key missions and policies at the meetings.
