Xi Jinping, 鈥榗hairman of everything,鈥� secures his future
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Ann Scott Tyson Staff writer
| Seattle
With the Communist Party鈥檚 endorsement last week of a resolution lauding him and his ideology, Chinese leader Xi Jinping has vaulted into a position of rare supremacy. The vote all but clinches his power to rule as long as he chooses over the country of 1.4 billion people.
Mr. Xi is 鈥渁 man on a mission鈥� who sees himself as 鈥渞esponsible for all the greatness in China today,鈥� says Steve Tsang, director of the SOAS China Institute at the University of London. 鈥淭here is clearly no intention of him retiring.鈥�
The political victory enshrines Mr. Xi鈥檚 vision for the nation in a document meant to endure for decades to come, and puts him in a virtually unassailable position. Yet his dominance, bolstered by a growing personality cult, imposes an ideological conformity that carries risks for China, some observers warn.
Why We Wrote This
Xi Jinping has sealed his dominance and secured an unchallenged future as China鈥檚 top leader. But doubts cloud his eventual succession.
鈥淭he cost of ideological governance is to dampen innovation and creativity,鈥� says Timothy Cheek, a history professor and expert in modern China at the Institute of Asian Research at the University of British Columbia. 鈥淭hey get security at the price of creativity.鈥�
A plenum of the ruling Communist Party鈥檚 more than 300-strong Central Committee, the locus of power in China, passed a resolution last week on the party鈥檚 鈥渕ajor achievements鈥� since its founding 100 years ago. Its full text was published Tuesday.
It is hard to overstate the importance of the so-called historical resolution, only the third such document approved by the Central Committee since the party鈥檚 founding in 1921, experts say.
Mao Zedong, who led China鈥檚 communist revolution, orchestrated the first resolution in 1945 to criticize the party鈥檚 early founders. The second was secured in 1981 by then-paramount leader Deng Xiaoping, who used it to chastise Mr. Mao鈥檚 radicalism and pave the way for market-oriented economic reforms and China鈥檚 opening to the outside world.
A new brand of Marxism
The new resolution marks a radical departure from Mr. Deng鈥檚 pragmatism, encapsulated in his famous aphorism, 鈥淏lack cat or white cat, if it can catch mice, it鈥檚 a good cat.鈥� Rather, it praises Mr. Xi for restoring the centrality of Marxism to Chinese politics.
鈥淭his is the recasting of the unwritten constitution of political life in China. This is it. End of discussion,鈥� says Professor Cheek. The document legitimizes Mr. Xi鈥檚 statements, actions, and policy decisions as Communist Party doctrine, making it highly dangerous for anyone to criticize them.聽
Previous resolutions have 鈥渟ettled debate and laid down the law that worked for the next 20 years,鈥� and this one is unlikely to be any different, Professor Cheek adds.
The resolution essentially places Mr. Xi beyond challenge in the run-up to next year鈥檚 20th Party Congress, when he is expected to become the first leader since Mr. Mao to be reappointed general secretary for a third five-year term. Under Mr. Xi, who took charge of the party in 2012, and is also president, the government eliminated presidential term limits set in place by Mr. Deng.
Beyond elevating Mr. Xi, the historical resolution also effusively praises his vision for China鈥檚 rise and credits him with creating a new brand of Marxism uniquely suited to the country.
鈥淐omrade Xi Jinping 鈥� has set forth a new series of original ideas, thoughts, and strategies on national governance,鈥� reads the resolution. The ideology Mr. Xi has founded 鈥渆mbodies the best of the Chinese culture and ethos in our times and represents a new breakthrough in adapting Marxism to the Chinese context.鈥�
In short, it says, 鈥渢his is the Marxism of contemporary China and of the 21st century.鈥�
The emphasis on ideological governance underscores one of Mr. Xi鈥檚 most fundamental concerns 鈥� that China鈥檚 post-Mao shift toward a market economy and opening to foreign influences has undermined the population鈥檚 faith in communism.
鈥淴i Jinping has made it very clear that he sees the fall of the Soviet Union as coming from a loss of ideological coherence, and his job 鈥� is to fix that in China before it鈥檚 too late,鈥� says Professor Cheek.
The resolution echoes this concern, noting 鈥減rofound changes in the Chinese people鈥檚 ways of thinking.鈥� The party鈥檚 鈥渋deological work shapes the collective mind鈥� and is vital to keeping China strong, it says. 鈥淲ithout a thriving culture and firm confidence in it, the Chinese nation cannot achieve rejuvenation,鈥� it says.
鈥淣o successors in sight鈥�
Explaining why the historical resolution was necessary, Mr. Xi wrote that it will forge 鈥渟tronger unity in will and action鈥� among Communist Party members and rally the Chinese people as a whole.
Yet as Mr. Xi grows ever stronger, with his image looming on huge displays and books of his 鈥渢hought鈥� filling store shelves, experts point to the risks of centralized power and ideological conformity.
Political deliberations are constrained by Mr. Xi鈥檚 dominant role on a wide range of decision-making bodies 鈥� giving him the nickname 鈥渃hairman of everything,鈥� experts say. 鈥淭he collective leadership of open debate and discussion behind closed doors has been replaced by an echo chamber,鈥� says Professor Tsang.
Perhaps the greatest risk, China scholars say, is that Mr. Xi鈥檚 supremacy has left the country without a clear successor. If he serves another decade or more, an entire generation of experienced potential聽replacements will have aged out, says Willy Wo-Lap Lam, adjunct professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and an expert on Chinese politics.
鈥淴i has broken all the institutional rules very wisely set down by Deng 鈥� no personality cult, an orderly succession, and many others,鈥� says Dr. Lam.
鈥淭here are no successors in sight,鈥� he says, 鈥渁nd no one knows who will win (the title) 鈥榅i鈥檚 favorite.鈥欌��
