Commentary
Xi Jinping transits through shoal waters in his quest for a third five-year term as “paramount leader.”
The 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) convened on Oct. 16 in Beijing. Party congresses are held every five years and provide a glimpse into the rigid workings of the CCP, as well as its priorities for the future. In this Congress, three main topics are incorporated into the carefully choreographed schedule.
The first major event was a presentation of the U.S.-equivalent of a presidential “state of the union address” by Xi at the beginning of the Congress. Xi’s speech consisted of a dreary dissertation on his past accomplishments, future goals, and priorities leading to the 100th-anniversary celebration of the founding of the “People’s Republic of China” in 1949, and his usual favorite topics folded into his vision for China’s future (an update of his “Chinese Dream”)….