A little more than a week ago, there was a seismic event in China that did not register on Guyana’s radar significantly enough, probably because of the fallout from President Granger’s bombshell of unilaterally appointing former Justice James Patterson as GECOM Chairman. But the event in China — the Communist Party of China’s (CPC) 19th National Congress confirming President Xi Jinping for another five-year term — will certainly have a far-reaching effect in global politics, and probably will in the end outweigh the infelicitous act of Granger here in Guyana.
China has already replaced the United States as the largest investor in Latin America and the Caribbean, and with the bold strategy outlined by President Xi Jinping, that country will play an increasingly powerful role, with its trillions in foreign reserves, in a region that is heavily dependent on Foreign Direct Investment. Only last week, Jamaica announced it is contemplating using the Chinese currency as its reserve.
The individual at the helm of China is, therefore, by definition an individual the world needs to become familiar with. Xi had long been identified as a future leader — when he was selected while in his fifties to become a member of the seven-member Politburo Standing Committee (PSC), the party’s and the country’s highest ruling council. Today, with no younger leader placed there who may be considered as his successor, analysts are convinced he would be selected for a third term in 2022.
Many had expected Xi to pack the PSC with his loyalists, but Xi has evidently decided to increase his standing within the CPC by allowing a wide range of interests to be represented. The members of the Politburo (18) and the Central Committee (207) are also cast in the same mould.
But the most far-reaching decision, which demonstrated the reach of Xi’s influence, was the unanimous decision of the 2300 delegates representing the 90 million members of the CPC: to elevate “Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese characteristics for a New Era” into the CPC’s Constitution.
This was an almost unprecedented move, since only Deng Xiaoping and Mao Zedong have been accorded such an honour. Deng, of course, rescued China from the disastrous policies of Chairman Mao, and was the architect of the post-1978 China that is now the second largest economy in the world, and which moved more people out of poverty than at any other country in the world.
Deng’s plan was based on the “24-character strategy”, which demanded the Chinese to: “observe calmly, secure our position, cope with affairs calmly, hide our capacities, bide our time, be good at maintaining a low profile, never claim leadership.” More concretely it embarked on what was called the “four modernisations” – of agriculture, industry, science and technology and defence. At that time, the struggle was originally to overcome poverty and backwardness.
The “thoughts” of Xi will now guide China at least until 2035, when it is projected that China would become “a great, modern socialist country”; and, not so incidentally, the largest economy in the world. During this time, the goal would be to not necessarily focus on the double-digit growth rates that may careen out of control, but to ensure that regional disparities are reduced. By 2050, China would become “a prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced country with Chinese characteristics”.
While not spelt out in the Constitution, the “Chinese Characteristics” include a growing role for Buddhist values, exemplified by Xi’s rehabilitation of thousands of monasteries. According to Xi, this would make China “a global leader in terms of composite national strength and international influence”.
Through all of this, however, while it was explicitly stated that market forces would be allowed to play the “decisive” role in resource allocation, and supply-side structural reform will be pursued, to the consternation of some in the West, President Xi has recommitted to ensuring that the CPC will guide all changes, and remain in firm control of the powerful People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
