BEIJING: President Xi Jinping laid out a blueprint for China’s development until 2035 focusing on “significantly” increasing economic wealth and accelerating military capabilities in his inaugural speech at the opening of the Communist Party of China’s (CPC) 20th national congress in Beijing on Sunday.
Xi also showcased his country’s fight against Covid-19 and counted the “comprehensive control” over Hong Kong and “turning it from chaos to governance” as achievements in the past five years even as he warned Taiwan that the “wheels of history” were turning towards Beijing taking control of the self-governed island.
“We will continue to strive for peaceful reunification (of Taiwan) with the greatest sincerity and utmost effort, but we will never promise to renounce the use of force and reserve the option of taking all measures necessary,” Xi said, according to the English version of his speech.
Xi described the last five years since the 2017 CPC Congress as “extremely uncommon and abnormal”.
“We must strengthen our sense of hardship, adhere to the bottom-line thinking, be prepared for danger in times of peace, prepare for a rainy day, and be ready to withstand major tests of high winds and high waves,” Xi said.
Lauding the CPC’s fight against poverty, Xi said the party of over 96 million members “has won the largest battle against poverty in human history”.
Xi, who was speaking at the opening of a twice-a-decade party Congress, is poised to continue as the leader of the CPC for a precedent-breaking third term even as sweeping changes are to be made among the rest of the leadership.
In a nearly-two-hour speech – shorter than the three-hour one he gave in 2017 – Xi extolled China’s achievements in the past five years and said the party would strive to achieve what it calls the “rejuvenation” of the nation.
“Our future is bright, but we still have a long way to go,” Xi said to the 2,300 delegates and invitees – including former leaders like Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao – attending the opening held in the central hall of the Great Hall of the People, overlooking the Tiananmen Square and Forbidden City.
As many as 2,296 congress delegates filed into the Great Hall on Sunday morning amid tight security and strict Covid-19 control protocols to take part in a choreographed show over the next six days of discussing issues and deciding the leadership – the decisions have already been taken in backroom and secretive internal CPC negotiations.
The Congress concludes on October 22 and the new leadership will be unveiled on October 23.
Outlining China’s overall development objectives for year 2035, Xi said it includes “significantly increase economic strength, scientific and technological capabilities, and composite national strength, and substantially grow the per capita GDP to be on par with that of a mid-level developed country”.
On China’s policy on Covid-19 control, Xi said China had put “people and their lives first” when dealing with the pandemic.
Xi said China had “protected people’s safety and health to the highest degree and achieved significant positive results in coordinating epidemic prevention and control and social and economic development”.
On developing the military, Xi said: “We will work faster to modernise military theory, personnel and weapons,” adding: “We will enhance the military’s strategic capabilities.”
