Leadership to help modernize nation

The new leadership of the Communist Party of China will lay a solid foundation for the country's path to modernization as the members have rich governing experience and share the same vision for the nation's future as espoused by Party chief Xi Jinping, analysts said.

Xi was unanimously elected general secretary of the 20th CPC Central Committee at the committee's first plenary session held last Sunday. Members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee were also elected.

Colin Mackerras, sinologist and professor emeritus at Griffith University in Queensland, said Xi had put forward a visionary agenda to the 20th National Congress.

Xi's vision was spelled out in his address to the congress where he not only emphasized development, but also talked of common prosperity, reducing inequalities and the importance of the environment, he said.

Xi has done a great deal to uproot corruption, Mackerras told China Daily. And, "Xi put a lot of emphasis on human life and winning the war against the pandemic," he said.

Moreover, in his report and remarks, Xi reiterated China's opposition to the growing Cold War mentality in international diplomacy.

Xi said China resolutely opposes all forms of hegemony and power politics, opposes Cold War mentality, opposes interfering in other countries' domestic politics and opposes double standards.

Mackerras said China does not seek hegemony and will never engage in expansion. "China's approach is peaceful, but the Americans' is not," he said.

He noted that on the question of Taiwan, Beijing's position has not changed. "It wants peaceful reunification, but is not prepared to rule out the use of force. Unfortunately, the US is moving more and more toward wanting an 'independent' Taiwan," he said, adding that Washington "does not hesitate to go back on its word in dealings with other countries".

The United States wants to keep control over Taiwan. China has been very cautious up to now and "I expect that to continue", Mackerras said.

Hans Hendrischke, professor of Chinese business and management at the University of Sydney, said by putting it into context, this congress laid the ideological foundations for the Party's governance until 2049, when the nation will mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

Global engagement urged

"Priority was the long-term ideological agenda, poverty reduction, more international engagement, particularly with developing countries," he said.

He said short- and medium-term policies will come from the National People's Congress in March, which will also nominate the new government.

Hendrischke said the best indication for future policies is the new members of the Party's leadership team.

The members have deep experience in the comparatively advanced provinces, Hendrischke said.

"To me this looks like a concentration of practical, provincial expertise," Hendrischke said.

Sergey Lukonin, a China expert at the Russian Academy of Sciences, said under the leadership of the new members of the CPC Central Committee, the next five years are believed to be crucial for getting the efforts to build a modern socialist country in all respects off to a good start.

There are many serious tasks to be completed, as these tasks have become more acute within the current geopolitical situation. "I think China will succeed in it and will represent a model of stable economic and political development for the rest of the world," he said.

Ebrahim Hashem, a fellow at the Asia Global Institute at the University of Hong Kong, wrote on Twitter last Sunday that the statements made at the CPC 20th National Congress have exuded confidence and optimism about the future.

"China's civilized and orderly power transition has many lessons for some self-serving politicians in the US and allied states, whose broken system no longer delivers to their people," he said.

"It's refreshing and inspiring to see a nation as important and big as China make progress toward achieving its goals. People in the world need a source of inspiration; a source of good news for humanity. China offers this source; this is why the majority of the world wants China to succeed."

Chen Weihua in Brussels and Ren Qi in Moscow contributed to this story.

KARL WILSON in Sydney

karlwilson@chinadailyapac.com