The ruling Communist Party of China approved a rare resolution on November 11, 2021, which uplifted the country’s President Xi Jinping’s status in its history. The latest move can be seen as consolidating Xi’s authority and the likelihood of securing an unprecedented third leadership term in 2022.
As per the State Media, the resolution on the Communist Party of China’s ‘achievements and historical experiences’ since its founding 100 years ago was passed at the end of a 4-day, closed-door meeting of more than 300 top leaders on its Central Committee.
The ‘historical resolution’ approved by China has put Xi Jinping on the same pedestal as Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping. The two previous leaders had cemented their position as the pre-eminent leader with the only other two such resolutions passed, in 1945 and 1981 respectively. President Xi Jinping is seen as China’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong.
China passes historical resolution: How it uplift President Xi’s authority?At the 4-day meeting, known as the Sixth Plenum, the Communist Party of China elevated the role of Xi Jinping in one of its ideologies by crediting him for the first time in an official document as the ‘main innovator’ behind “Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.” The ruling Party of China had previously defined this ideology as the product of ‘the experiences and collective wisdom of the party and the people’. As per the experts, “Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era” might be shortened to simply “Xi Jinping Thought” by the Party Congress in the latter half of 2022, when Xi Jinping is almost certain to secure a precedent-breaking third term as the party leader. As per the end of the meeting communique, the Communist Party of China decided that a conclusion to draw from its century of his was that it must ‘resolutely uphold Comrade Xi Jinping’s core position’ in the party. |
100 years of the Chinese Communist Party.#AFPgraphics timeline of major events during 100 years of China's communist party. Top Communist Party leaders have passed Xi Jinping's resolution on upholding "the correct view of party history" pic.twitter.com/x4LJLUTEWV
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) November 12, 2021
Xi Jinping Thought: What it defines?
• Xi Jinping’s tenure has been marked by a sprawling anti-corruption crackdown, an increasingly assertive approach to foreign relations, and repressive policies in regions like Tibet, Hong Kong, and Xinjiang.
• Jinping has also created a leadership cult that quashed criticism, removed rivals and dissent, and introduced his own political theory- dubbed ‘Xi Jinping Thought’- to school students.
Similar resolutions passed previously by China
Such resolution has been passed only twice, in 1945 and 1981.
• The first such resolution (in 1945) on the party’s history passed under Mao had helped him cement his authority over the Communist Party for four years before it seized power.
• The second, adopted under Deng Xiaoping (in 1981), saw the regime adopt the economic reforms and recognize the mistakes of Mao’s ways.
How the new resolution is different from the previous ones?
• Unlike the 1981 resolution (adopted under Deng Xiaoping), the communique on November 11, 2021, completely glosses over the widespread turmoil of the Cultural Revolution, a devastating period of political upheaval in the 1960s and 1970s. Instead, it refers to the period as one of the ‘socialist revolution and construction’.
• Chairman Mao has been mentioned in the document only 7 times, while Deng only 5 times. In comparison, Jinping has been mentioned 17 times.
What will be the impact of the latest resolution passed by China?
Experts say that the resolution will help Xi Jinping in tightening his grip on power by setting in stone his vision for China and the diminishing role of the country’s previous leaders.
The text reads that the ‘thought’ of Xi is the epitome of Chinese culture and soul. It states that Xi’s presence at the heart of the ruling party is of decisive importance…to promote the historic process of the great renewal of the Chinese nation.
Background
Xi Jinping has been serving as the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and the Chairman of the Central Military Commission since 2012. He has been the President of the People’s Republic of China since 2013. Xi Jinping is the paramount leader of China and the most prominent leader of the country since 2012.
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