https://www.scmp.com/rss/323487/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com A closed-door meeting of the ruling Communist Party on Friday endorsed a proposal to include “Xi Jinping Thought”, the president’s political theory, in China’s constitution, Xinhua reported. The proposal – to be formally approved by the national legislature’s full session in March – would make Xi the first sitting Chinese leader to see his name in the constitution since Mao Zedong. It follows revisions made in October at the party congress that saw Xi’s theory – Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2129760/top-cadres-propose-adding-xi-jinping-thought-chinese?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2129760/top-cadres-propose-adding-xi-jinping-thought-chinese?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Jan 2018 15:00:30 +0000 Chinese President Xi Jinping has called on Communist Party officials to carry out the top echelon’s directives to the letter, while also remaining pragmatic. Speaking at a full meeting of the party’s top graft watchdog, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), on Thursday, Xi reminded cadres to resolutely safeguard the authority and the leadership of the party’s Central Committee. Noting the party was challenged by “complex” domestic and international factors, Xi said officials... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2127871/xi-demands-pragmatism-and-absolute-loyalty-communist?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2127871/xi-demands-pragmatism-and-absolute-loyalty-communist?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Jan 2018 14:56:31 +0000 On the first day of his ­recent visit to Beijing, President Donald Trump was treated to Peking opera. A common element in many such shows is moments when characters run about the stage wildly banging gongs to draw the audience’s attention, even though nothing of substance is occurring. And so went the US president’s summit with China’s Xi ­Jinping on economic and trade issues, a perfunctory display meant only to give the impression of serious ­engagement and achievement. Some American observers... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2120823/us-preparing-trade-war-china-dont-be-fooled-noise?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2120823/us-preparing-trade-war-china-dont-be-fooled-noise?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Nov 2017 09:38:37 +0000 All President Xi Jinping’s key speeches in over past five years can be summarised with one message: ensuring the leading role of the Communist Party in all aspects of life, according to his key ally Wang Qishan. The former anti-corruption chief’s succinct summary of Xi’s speeches – which have featured in hundreds, if not thousands, of publications on the mainland – came as the party enshrined the president’s political thoughts into the party charter and guide to action at last month’s 19th party... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2118170/xis-epic-speeches-can-be-summed-one-simple-message-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2118170/xis-epic-speeches-can-be-summed-one-simple-message-says?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Nov 2017 11:09:54 +0000 The Communist Party’s 19th Congress was watched closely by the whole world. Many commented that the new leadership line-up didn’t include a clear potential heir, raising chances that general secretary Xi Jinping might stay in office beyond 2022. While gaining insight into the opaque system of Chinese politics is intellectually satisfying, what matters to us overseas would still be its economic development and our opportunities. A further look at China’s growth model would help. I believe Xi’s... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2117886/china-growth-model-shows-xi-jinpings-vision-will-outshine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2117886/china-growth-model-shows-xi-jinpings-vision-will-outshine?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Nov 2017 04:25:54 +0000 A poverty-stricken province in southwestern China is becoming one of the surest routes to the top of the Communist Party under Xi Jinping. In the eyes of many Chinese communists, the heavily rural province of Guizhou is taking on the status of what one analyst described as a “Holy Land”, serving as a showcase for the president’s achievements and a testing ground for some of the country’s most powerful men. The highest-ranked Guizhou veteran is Li Zhanshu, a top aide to Xi who entered the party’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2117430/how-poor-rural-province-became-promised-land-chinas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2117430/how-poor-rural-province-became-promised-land-chinas?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Oct 2017 03:00:40 +0000 The Communist Party is set to strengthen its hold on all aspects of Chinese society with the inclusion of President Xi Jinping’s tongue-twisting, 16-character political philosophy in the party’s canon. Xi foreshadowed the tighter grip last week when he detailed his approach to governance at the start of the party’s national congress. “Government, the military, society and schools, north, south, east and west – the party leads them all,” he said. The president’s theory – “Xi Jinping Thought on... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2116836/xi-jinping-thought-communist-partys-tighter-grip-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2116836/xi-jinping-thought-communist-partys-tighter-grip-china?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Oct 2017 16:06:30 +0000 President Xi Jinping’s absolute authority over China’s 88 million-strong Communist Party was cemented on Tuesday with its decision to incorporate Xi in name and thought in the party’s constitution. The inclusions – released at the end of the party’s five-yearly congress in Beijing – were a package of principles under the banner “Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era”, and ranged from politics, to economics, the military and society. But Xi also managed to get... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2116813/xi-jinpings-pet-projects-packed-communist-party-canon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2116813/xi-jinpings-pet-projects-packed-communist-party-canon?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Oct 2017 12:14:09 +0000 China had a central role in putting together two of the world’s most important agreements in recent years, the Iran nuclear deal and the Paris climate change accord. They are landmark pacts aimed at protecting against weapons proliferation and the weather extremes and higher sea levels that unfettered air pollution is causing. These are the obligations President Xi Jinping was referring to in his report as secretary general to the 19th Congress of the Communist Party when promising that Beijing... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2116515/china-working-preserve-agreements?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2116515/china-working-preserve-agreements?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Oct 2017 16:45:45 +0000 Xiongan, the area outside Beijing that was hand-picked by Chinese president Xi Jinping as the dream city for his “thousand-year” plan to transform the capital, will be developed into a high-technology hub and showcase of the country’s latest innovations, said the Communist Party chief of the district. The district will seek out companies engaged in information technology, biotechnology, new energy and new materials, providing them with various incentives and benefits to invest and establish... https://www.scmp.com/tech/enterprises/article/2116178/what-will-china-build-xi-jinpings-dream-city-it-biotech-new-energy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/enterprises/article/2116178/what-will-china-build-xi-jinpings-dream-city-it-biotech-new-energy?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Oct 2017 23:01:49 +0000 The head of China’s securities watchdog has applauded President Xi Jinping for “saving the Communist Party” by foiling a coup plot by former political heavyweights. Addressing a panel on the sidelines of the party’s national congress in Beijing on Thursday, Liu Shiyu, chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, accused a string of disgraced cadres of plotting to seize the reins of power. Among those named was the former party boss of megacity Chongqing, Sun Zhengcai, once a front... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2116176/coup-plotters-foiled-xi-jinping-fended-threat-save?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2116176/coup-plotters-foiled-xi-jinping-fended-threat-save?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Oct 2017 15:00:15 +0000 Chinese graft-busters road testing a new anti-corruption procedure insisted on Thursday that the system would protect the rights of those under investigation even though they won’t have access to a lawyer. In his work report to the Communist Party’s national congress on Wednesday, President Xi Jinping said the party was abolishing its much-criticised secret interrogation practice known as shuanggui, and replacing it with a system called liuzhi, or “detention”. Rights advocates said suspects... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2116151/kinder-gentler-new-anti-graft-system-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2116151/kinder-gentler-new-anti-graft-system-china?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Oct 2017 13:00:00 +0000 About 70 per cent of foreign-funded firms in China have set up Communist Party branches, an official said on Thursday, as the party extends and strengthens its presence and control over all sectors of society. As of the end of last year, 106,000 companies receiving foreign investment in China had set up party units, according to Qi Yu, the deputy head of the party’s Central Organisation Department. The latest figure has more than doubled since 2011, when 47,000 foreign-invested companies doing... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2116107/chinas-communist-party-boosts-presence-foreign-funded?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2116107/chinas-communist-party-boosts-presence-foreign-funded?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Oct 2017 08:04:15 +0000 The Chinese military will embark on a massive hardware upgrade and top personnel shake-up under President Xi Jinping’s orders for the PLA to become a world-class fighting force in the next three decades. Laying out his ambitious plan for the People’s Liberation Army in a report to the Communist Party’s national congress on Wednesday, Xi said the PLA must modernise by 2035 and become a top-ranked military by 2050. “A military force is built to fight. Our military must regard combat readiness as... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2115968/xi-orders-massive-military-shake-meet-threats-worlds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2115968/xi-orders-massive-military-shake-meet-threats-worlds?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Oct 2017 00:00:15 +0000 In his keynote report to the national congress of the Chinese Communist Party, Xi Jinping launched a new era of national development, while reaffirming the leadership of the party in every aspect of life as inseparable from the dream of national rejuvenation. The president revealed that China has adopted “socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era” as the guiding principle of national development to a new plateau by the middle of the 21st century. Xi declares China entering ‘modern... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2115981/xi-launches-new-era-vision-which-hong-kong-has-part-play?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2115981/xi-launches-new-era-vision-which-hong-kong-has-part-play?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Oct 2017 19:59:54 +0000 Chinese President Xi Jinping mapped out a confident vision of China’s rise as a global power by 2050, opening a twice-a-decade party gathering on Wednesday by reaffirming the Communist Party’s continued control and pledging the start of a “new era”. In one of his most important political addresses since taking power five years ago and underscoring his own pivotal role since then, Xi declared China had entered a new phase to create a “modern socialist country”, a declaration analysts saw as a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2115970/xi-lays-out-path-confident-new-era-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2115970/xi-lays-out-path-confident-new-era-china?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Oct 2017 15:45:45 +0000 General Secretary Xi Jinping on Wednesday promised to replace a controversial interrogation method used by China’s Communist Party with a new system that would be answerable under the law. “A national supervision law will be formulated,” he said during his 3½-hour presentation of the party’s five-yearly work report at the opening session of the 19th national congress in Beijing. “Supervisory commissions will be given responsibilities, powers and means of investigation in accordance with the law... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2115966/chinas-getting-new-law-fight-corruption-theres-still-no?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2115966/chinas-getting-new-law-fight-corruption-theres-still-no?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Oct 2017 15:15:30 +0000 China will try to extend its global reach by having a bigger say in the way international institutions are run. That was the message President Xi Jinping delivered as he outlined the country’s foreign policy direction in his report to the Communist Party’s national congress in Beijing on Wednesday. Diplomatic observers said the report signalled that China was keen to have a hand in setting international norms and rules, which Beijing maintains are now dominated by Western powers. In his address,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2115961/time-china-have-bigger-global-say-xi-tells-world?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2115961/time-china-have-bigger-global-say-xi-tells-world?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Oct 2017 14:15:30 +0000 President Xi Jinping’s reference to Beijing’s “comprehensive jurisdiction” over Hong Kong shows the central leadership is determined to curb any threat against national unity in the city, according to academics and pro-establishment lawmakers. In Xi’s report on Wednesday, he did not explicitly warn against the pro-independence sentiment in Hong Kong. But the president said Beijing’s authority over Hong Kong and Macau, as well as the two cities’ high degree of autonomy must be “combined in an... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2115963/xis-speech-shows-beijings-resolve-confront-any-threat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2115963/xis-speech-shows-beijings-resolve-confront-any-threat?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Oct 2017 14:12:14 +0000 President Xi Jinping on Wednesday redefined the “principal contradiction” faced by Chinese people, signalling a shift in the country’s development focus for the years, if not decades, ahead from unbridled economic growth to better quality expansion and improved wealth distribution. In in his work report to the national congress, Xi told the party’s nearly 2,300 delegates gathered in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing that as socialism with Chinese characteristics entered a new era, the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2115955/how-xis-redefinition-principal-contradiction-could?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2115955/how-xis-redefinition-principal-contradiction-could?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Oct 2017 13:30:30 +0000 Chinese President Xi Jinping has again promised greater market access to foreign investors to shore up confidence in his country amid louder complaints from Washington to Brussels about Beijing’s protectionism. In his marathon speech at the start of the Communist Party’s twice-a-decade national congress on Wednesday, Xi said China would significantly lower the threshold for entrance to China’s markets, protect the legal interests of foreign businesses in China, and treat locally registered... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2115951/xi-vows-wider-open-door-policy-amid-foreign-demands?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2115951/xi-vows-wider-open-door-policy-amid-foreign-demands?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Oct 2017 12:45:45 +0000 President Xi Jinping’s vision for Hong Kong of a blending of the concepts of central authority and a high degree of autonomy should work well and does not need to lead to confrontation or tension, said a Beijing top official. Commenting on Xi’s spelling out of the relationship between the two at the 19th party congress’ opening, Zhang Xiaoming said: “A special administrative region’s power of high degree of autonomy was delegated by the central government, it branched out from Beijing’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2115946/beijing-must-assert-authority-over-hong-kongs-autonomy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2115946/beijing-must-assert-authority-over-hong-kongs-autonomy?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Oct 2017 11:46:05 +0000 Listening to Chinese president Xi Jinping highlight the internet, big data and artificial intelligence in his keynote speech to the ruling Communist Party’s once-every-five-year conclave, instilled confidence in tech entrepreneurs like Rona Jiang. Xi, addressing some 2,200 party members at the 19th National Congress of the party, called for the embedding of advanced technologies into the real economy to foster growth engines and develop new business models like the shared economy. The inclusion... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/2115935/chinas-xi-jinping-highlights-ai-big-data-and-shared-economy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/2115935/chinas-xi-jinping-highlights-ai-big-data-and-shared-economy?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Oct 2017 11:00:45 +0000 Chinese President Xi Jinping detailed a vision for China for the next five years in a 3½-hour speech at the opening of the Communist Party’s 19th congress on Wednesday. Here are his key points: On Communist Party leadership: “We must keep on strengthening the party’s ability to lead politically, to guide through theory, to organise the people, and to inspire society, thus ensuring that the party’s great vitality and strong ability are forever maintained.” On national rejuvenation: “Achieving... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2115889/road-ahead-china-xi-jinpings-words?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2115889/road-ahead-china-xi-jinpings-words?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Oct 2017 07:44:45 +0000 President Xi Jinping has outlined his vision for the next five years of development in China as the Communist Party’s congress opened in Beijing on Wednesday. During a 3½-hour long speech, Xi said the internal and external situations facing China were undergoing complicated changes which the party needed to address. Xi Jinping sets the agenda for China’s next five years He vowed to step up ideological guidance within the party, strengthen its anti-corruption campaign, retain the government’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2115858/key-points-xis-speech-chinas-communist-party-congress?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2115858/key-points-xis-speech-chinas-communist-party-congress?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Oct 2017 05:00:30 +0000 President Xi Jinping spent 3.5 hours delivering his maiden political report at the 19th Communist Party congress on Wednesday, outlining his vision for the next five years of development in China. See highlights from the address below. App users, please allow a few seconds for our live blog widget to load. https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2115783/countdown-xi-jinpings-big-moment-sun?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2115783/countdown-xi-jinpings-big-moment-sun?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Oct 2017 00:30:00 +0000 On the surface it seemed just like any other speech. The glimpse offered by the official state news agency covered familiar ground using well-worn jargon, urging cadres to sprint to the finish to achieve the “great Chinese revival”. But the address President Xi Jinping delivered on July 26 was like no other. The minister-level cadres summoned to Beijing to hear it behind closed doors were not allowed to take notes, according to state television. And Xinhua offered just a few paragraphs about its... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2115767/xi-jinping-thought-break-chinas-past?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2115767/xi-jinping-thought-break-chinas-past?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Oct 2017 12:00:00 +0000 They say there is no such thing as a free lunch, and while that is not exactly true for delegates to this week’s Communist Party congress in Beijing, there certainly will not be any free prawns or haircuts. In the spirit of frugality – one of the watchwords of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s first term in charge – the 19th national party congress will be noticeably lacking in the frills, treats and indulgences that have characterised previous gatherings. Gone are the balloons and banners from the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2115437/prawns-are-keep-your-hair-chinas-communist-party-trims?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2115437/prawns-are-keep-your-hair-chinas-communist-party-trims?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Oct 2017 09:15:15 +0000 Chinese leader Xi Jinping inherited two lofty economic targets and a difficult juggling act when he became Communist Party general secretary five years ago. He is on track to achieve the first of the party’s “two centennial goals” in his second term, beginning this month, but has a mixed record on promised economic reforms. Faced with social and economic challenges that have generated calls for fundamental reforms in areas such as the state’s role in the economy, financial system risks and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2114471/being-xi-jinping-difficult-art-juggling-growth-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2114471/being-xi-jinping-difficult-art-juggling-growth-and?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Oct 2017 06:00:30 +0000 Emerging from his first term as China’s most powerful leader in decades, President Xi Jinping will be looking to dominate personnel decisions at a five-yearly shake-up later this month. At that much-anticipated meeting, which begins on October 18, the line-up will be unveiled for the Politburo and its Standing Committee – the country’s top echelons of power – for Xi’s second term at the helm of the world’s largest political party. Xi’s first term line-up was a compromise influenced by his two... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2114016/friends-high-places-xi-jinpings-determined-path-control?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2114016/friends-high-places-xi-jinpings-determined-path-control?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Oct 2017 13:30:00 +0000 The leader of China’s Communist Party, Xi Jinping, will begin a second five-year term this month. Many observers say it’s unlikely to be his last. Ahead of the party’s national congress, due to start in Beijing on October 18, the ranks of potential successors have been thinning out. Former Chongqing party boss Sun Zhengcai, 54, who had been regarded as a rising star, was expelled from the party last Friday after being taken away for questioning by party anti-graft inspectors on July 14. If,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2111123/does-chinese-leader-xi-jinping-plan-hang-power-more-10?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2111123/does-chinese-leader-xi-jinping-plan-hang-power-more-10?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Oct 2017 00:00:15 +0000 Chinese Premier Li Keqiang will stay on as head of government for another term while President Xi Jinping’s name will be enshrined in the Communist Party’s charter alongside those of late leaders Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping, sources familiar with the situation told the South China Morning Post. With three weeks to go before an all-important national party congress that will decide China’s leadership line-up for the next five years, speculation about the gathering’s outcomes is mounting. Past... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2113305/confident-xi-reaches-out-trusted-colleagues?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2113305/confident-xi-reaches-out-trusted-colleagues?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Sep 2017 02:15:15 +0000 All nations have a right to be involved in regional and global security issues, China’s President Xi Jinping said on Tuesday in his speech to mark the opening of Interpol’s general assembly in Beijing. “China is willing to work closely with other [Interpol] member states, international groups and institutions ... and actively participate in global security governance,” he said in a keynote address. Flanked by several of his top law enforcers, including party security chief Meng Jianzhu and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2112944/all-nations-have-right-be-involved-global-security-xi?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2112944/all-nations-have-right-be-involved-global-security-xi?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 Sep 2017 14:45:45 +0000 The constitution of China’s Communist Party will be amended during the 19th party congress next month to include the political thoughts of President Xi Jinping, state media reported on Monday. Political analysts have long pondered how Xi’s political theories might be added to the charter, but the wait will soon be over, as the party’s 25-member politburo has already discussed a draft amendment that will be tabled for discussion at the twice-a-decade meeting, which opens on October 18, Xinhua... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2111746/xi-jinpings-political-thought-will-be-added-chinas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2111746/xi-jinpings-political-thought-will-be-added-chinas?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Sep 2017 15:00:45 +0000 China has named October 18 as the start date for its 19th party congress, but how long the five-yearly event lasts may well be an indication of the level of unity President Xi Jinping has managed to achieve, an analyst said on Friday. While Xi is fully expected to retain his position as the general secretary for a second five-year term, other positions on the top tables of power have yet to be finalised, and whether or not the Chinese leader’s own political philosophy is added to the party... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2109368/chinas-communist-party-united-under-xi-duration?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2109368/chinas-communist-party-united-under-xi-duration?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 Sep 2017 10:15:30 +0000 On November 15, 2012, when Xi Jinping ( 習近平 ) was elected as the general secretary of the Communist Party and chairman of its Central Military Commission, few anticipated what was coming. Xi wasted no time in kicking off a major anti-corruption campaign, reshuffling the top leadership of China’s ever-growing and upgrading armed forces, and promoting trusted allies to key provincial ­governments and major ministries. Accomplishing all of this was not easy, but the results have been satisfactory.... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2105249/what-xi-jinpings-goals-china-say-about-his-focus-personal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2105249/what-xi-jinpings-goals-china-say-about-his-focus-personal?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Aug 2017 08:25:08 +0000 The 19th congress of the Communist Party of China will be held later this year. Most observers are interested in personnel changes in making predictions about China’s future. But for President Xi Jinping (習近平), that future hinges on the success of no less than China’s cultural restoration. Xi has never liked the phrase popular in the West: “the rise of China”. He prefers “China’s restoration”, to explain the country’s spectacular rise after a free fall following the Opium Wars. His idea is to... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2104286/why-xi-jinping-must-tackle-myth-princeling-legitimacy-rule?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2104286/why-xi-jinping-must-tackle-myth-princeling-legitimacy-rule?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Jul 2017 10:00:41 +0000 A thick fog of politics has engulfed Beijing, and it will not lift until October or early November, when the 19th Congress of the Communist Party has concluded. But occasional events and patterns from the past give us scope to peep through gaps in the murk, and identify some pointers of what to expect at the 19th congress. The placing under investigation of Sun Zhengcai (孫政才), a Politburo member and Chongqing (重慶) party ­secretary, is one such occasion. This is a landmark development, as only... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2103271/what-potential-successors-fate-says-about-xi-jinpings?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2103271/what-potential-successors-fate-says-about-xi-jinpings?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Jul 2017 09:30:45 +0000 A documentary series extolling President Xi Jinping’s ideas and achievements in pushing for reforms is airing on state-run TV in China as the country’s propaganda apparatus steps up efforts to burnish his image ahead of a key Communist Party congress this autumn. The 10-episode series, Carrying Reform through to the End, started airing at 8pm on the state broadcaster CCTV on Monday. The programmes will also be replayed on local TV channels the following day and streamed on online media... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2103145/china-rolls-out-tv-series-eulogising-xi-xinping-ahead?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2103145/china-rolls-out-tv-series-eulogising-xi-xinping-ahead?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Jul 2017 13:01:22 +0000 President Xi Jinping’s political philosophy is now “basically complete”, according to his chief of staff, offering the latest insight into how the Communist Party is likely to go about enshrining the leader’s ideological legacy. Li Zhanshu, head of the party’s Central Committee General Office, delivered the message in an internal speech in February that was made public only on Sunday night on the social media account of People’s Daily’s overseas edition. What’s the real message behind Li’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2091985/reading-between-lines-xi-jinpings-political-philosophy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2091985/reading-between-lines-xi-jinpings-political-philosophy?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 May 2017 05:37:11 +0000 Xia Baolong, a well-known hardliner and close aide to Chinese President Xi Jinping, has been replaced as Zhejiang Communist Party chief ahead of a major power reshuffle due in autumn. Xia had stepped down from the province’s top job and was succeeded by Che Jun, a low-key political rising star, state-run ­Xinhua reported on Wednesday. A Zhejiang source told the South China Morning Post that Xia had a chance to take over from 69-year-old Meng Jianzhu as head of the party’s Central Political and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2090821/xi-jinpings-close-ally-take-over-security-organ-ahead?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2090821/xi-jinpings-close-ally-take-over-security-organ-ahead?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Apr 2017 08:00:15 +0000 Communist Party chief Xi Jinping could see his name enshrined in the party’s theoretical pantheon this autumn, sources say, with an eponymous ideological “banner term” likely to be written into the party’s constitution at its national congress. Such a move would place Xi on a par with late leaders Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping, and analysts said that would speak volumes about his consolidation of power. China’s ‘two sessions’ delivers core message on Xi Jinping’s central role However, with the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2082415/it-xis-turn-be-written-chinas-communist-party?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2082415/it-xis-turn-be-written-chinas-communist-party?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Mar 2017 14:00:30 +0000 The ruling Communist Party’s two dozen top brass made a face-to-face pledge of political loyalty to President Xi Jinping, one month into the official preparations for a major power transition next year. In a self-criticism session that recalled the era of former leader Mao Zedong, members of the 25-strong decision-making Politburo made soul-searching reports about their ideological orientation and behaviour. Xinhua said the two-day session, which ended on Tuesday, also highlighted the importance... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2057741/xi-gets-top-party-cadres-line-ahead-reshuffle?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2057741/xi-gets-top-party-cadres-line-ahead-reshuffle?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Dec 2016 01:00:45 +0000 In recent decades the “core” of the Communist Party leadership in China can be likened to a pendulum, swinging slowly one way and then reversing direction. The core was a feature of political life under former president Jiang Zemin before swinging out of use under his successor Hu Jintao and coming back under President Xi Jinping. In the weeks after the June 4 Tiananmen crackdown in 1989, party elders including Deng Xiaoping, Chen Yun, Li Xiannian and Wang Zhen reached an agreement to make... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2042627/pendulum-power-makes-xi-jinping-core-leader-mould-jiang?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2042627/pendulum-power-makes-xi-jinping-core-leader-mould-jiang?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 Nov 2016 23:03:50 +0000 How did the head of China’s Communist Party, Xi Jinping, come to be hailed as the “core of the party leadership” in less than four years when his predecessor, Hu Jintao, never achieved such recognition in 10 years as party chief? Party general secretary Xi was given the “core” title for the first time in an official party document in the communique issued by the party Central Committee’s sixth plenum, which ended on October 27. It urged the party to unite around “the party’s centre with Comrade... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2042258/how-did-chinas-xi-jinping-secure-core-status-just-four?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2042258/how-did-chinas-xi-jinping-secure-core-status-just-four?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 Nov 2016 04:00:00 +0000 A big question mark hanging over the future of the Chinese economy will soon be cleared up: is Communist Party general secretary Xi Jinping an old-style hardliner who views absolute power as an end in itself or a reformist who sees the consolidation of power as a necessary step towards meaningful reform? The risk is that a regime with highly concentrated power is prone to make policy choices which are incorrect Yuan Gangming, Tsinghua University With a key party meeting last week recognising Xi... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2041896/will-chinas-core-leader-xi-jinping-now-turn-attention?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2041896/will-chinas-core-leader-xi-jinping-now-turn-attention?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 01 Nov 2016 04:45:00 +0000 The annual plenum of the Communist Party’s central committee, which ended on Thursday, released a communique of more than six thousand words after four days of secret meetings in Beijing. As expected, the communique went to great lengths to expound the need to strengthen supervision and regulation of the behaviour and conduct of party members, particularly senior officials, with the plenum approving two documents to that effect as part of continuous efforts to combat corruption and boost the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2040942/how-xi-jinping-can-use-his-new-power-core-chinas-communist-party?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2040942/how-xi-jinping-can-use-his-new-power-core-chinas-communist-party?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Oct 2016 05:00:45 +0000 The Communist Party elevated President Xi Jinping’s political status on Thursday, referring to him as the “core” of its leadership ahead of the party’s five-yearly congress late next year. The higher status gives Xi greater influence over reshuffles of the top ranks at the gathering. A communique released on Thursday after the end of the Central Committee’s four-day sixth plenum in Beijing also said the party’s national congress would be held “in the second half of 2017 in Beijing”, marking the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2040675/chinese-communist-party-expands-xi-jinpings-political?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2040675/chinese-communist-party-expands-xi-jinpings-political?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Oct 2016 12:15:45 +0000 The Communist Party’s top cadres are expected to endorse two sets of rules on conduct that analysts say should tackle a ­perceived lack of loyalty among some in the top ranks towards the party’s leadership. The new regulations are expected to be presented to the Central Committee’s sixth plenum, a key party gathering that got under way on Monday at the tightly guarded PLA-run Jingxi Hotel in western Beijing. The plenum is also the most important meeting of the party’s elite before its... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2039680/communist-party-elite-tipped-back-new-rules-keep-cadres?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2039680/communist-party-elite-tipped-back-new-rules-keep-cadres?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Oct 2016 23:03:43 +0000 Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for renewed faith in orthodox Marxism and a revived revolutionary spirit, saying they were crucial for national rejuvenation. Xi, as general secretary of the ruling Communist Party, also called for unity within the leadership just days ahead of a crucial meeting of party leaders. Xi’s remarks came during a speech at the Great Hall of the People on Friday morning marking the 80th anniversary of the end of the Long March. [We] must be staunch believers and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2039017/xi-calls-staunch-belief-communism-ensure-national?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2039017/xi-calls-staunch-belief-communism-ensure-national?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Oct 2016 09:15:00 +0000