Journalists attend a press conference via video link on the sidelines of the ongoing 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in Beijing on October 17, 2022. Photo: Li Hao/GT

After delivering a report at Sunday's opening session of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Xi Jinping on Monday called on all Chinese people to stay united as "a piece of hard steel" under the CPC's leadership and pull together with one mind to power the giant ship of national rejuvenation through the winds and waves to reach its destination.

Xi made the remarks when he joined a panel discussion with delegates from South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region who are attending the 20th CPC National Congress.

Xi said the 20th CPC National Congress further points out the direction for the development of the Party and the country's cause, and serves as a political declaration and program of action for the Party to unite Chinese people to uphold and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Key for success 

In the past 10 years, after experiencing many dangers, hardships and difficulties, the cause of the Party and the country have realized a series of breakthroughs and progresses, and gained a series of symbolized achievements, Xi said on Monday, stressing that "The practice proved the fundamental policies and work arrangements of the CPC Central Committee since the 18th CPC National Congress are totally correct, and the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics fits China's reality, reflects the will of the Chinese people, and meets the demand of the development of times."

"Over the past five years, our Party has rallied the people and led them in solving a great number of problems that had long gone unsolved, securing many accomplishments that hold major future significance, and achieving impressive advances in the cause of the Party and the country," Xi said on Sunday in the report at the opening session of the 20th National Congress of the CPC.

Chinese political analysts said on Monday that Xi's remarks at the opening session further stressed that many historic goals, including the poverty alleviation campaign, anti-corruption campaign, the military reform, and environmental protection, that the CPC and China have achieved in the past 10 years are truly hard-won. They noted that the reason the Party can still deliver those achievements to the country and the people is because it has chosen a correct path, and more importantly, there is a strong core of the leadership for the CPC Central Committee and the whole Party. 

The strong core with powerful political determination and wisdom, as well as the courage and ability to carry on the fight, allows the Party to be united and mobilize the strengths from all sectors to accurately solve the long-standing problems and break the obstacles and proceed the reforms to meet the true demands of the people, said the experts. 

Zhuang Deshui, deputy director of the Research Center for Government Integrity-Building at Peking University, told the Global Times that the CPC's leadership core forms a boundless force to solve problems that people are concerned with across the country by uniting a strong cohesiveness of public opinion, and without a strong core of leadership, no matter how many correct policies are issued, they won't be effectively or comprehensively implemented to all grass-roots sectors, especially in a huge country with a huge population.

From poverty alleviation to anti-corruption; from promotion of common prosperity to pollution control and environment protection; from the reform for military modernization of all Chinese armed forces to improving and developing the One Country, Two Systems in Hong Kong and Macao, all of these require the CPC to reshape and even tear down some old problematic systems and structures, to guide the people and relevant groups to cooperate the reform and change made by the Party, to crack down on some forces that are unwilling to proceed the reforms or are even against the interests of the people, said analysts.

Therefore, without a strong core of the leadership, it's impossible for the Party to win so many fights and to achieve so many goals that have been witnessed by all people and the world at present, experts noted.

Zhang Shuhua, director of the Institute of Political Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that with a strong core of leadership at the CPC Central Committee, as well as the authority of the CPC Central Committee and its centralized, unified leadership, the Party is becoming more unified and organized, and its leadership in China has been further strengthened, and its ability of execution and its image to encourage and inspire the people have all been improved. 

 

Chinese reporters interview a foreign counterpart covering the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) at the press center on October 17, 2022. About 2,500 Chinese and foreign journalists have signed up to cover the 20th CPC National Congress. Photo: Li Hao/GT

Dangerous storms 

Warning of various "black swan" and "gray rhino" events that may occur at any time, Xi, in his report at the opening session, urged the CPC to be ready to "withstand high winds, choppy waters, and even dangerous storms."

As the strong core of the leadership allowed the CPC to overcome a series of tough challenges in the past years, the Party will unwaveringly hold high the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and firmly safeguard the core status of Xi at the CPC Central Committee and the authority of CPC Central Committee, and its centralized, unified leadership to withstand all potential risks and challenges in the future.

Jin Canrong, associate dean of the School of International Studies at the Renmin University of China, told the Global Times on Monday that although China, with the leadership of the CPC, has overcome many challenges in the past decade, the profound changes － unseen in the past century － that the world is experiencing are unfinished. The world is getting more and more uncertain and turbulent, there will be more risks and challenges for all members of the international arena, including China, to face.

The old system dominated by the US and the West is not functioning and it's unable to provide certainty and stability to the world, but it will continue to increase dangers, conflicts and chaos worldwide, analysts said.

The fundamental reason why China needs to be prepared for the worst-case scenario and even "dangerous storms" is that Chinese modernization, which is very different from Western modernization, will bring challenges to the hegemony which is now dominating the current world order. This hegemon and its followers do not accept that China will succeed, because that could bring about the end of the system they built to unfairly serve their interests, experts noted.

From the outside world, the US is imposing the major challenge to China's task of realizing its national rejuvenation, Jin said. 

The US released the National Security Strategy just a few days ahead of the 20th CPC National Congress, and it shows that the US has further determined to "compete" with and confront China, analysts noted.

In the National Security Strategy, the White House said, "[We] will prioritize maintaining an enduring competitive edge over the PRC (People's Republic of China) while constraining a still profoundly dangerous Russia," and "The PRC is the only competitor with both the intent to reshape the international order and, increasingly, the economic, diplomatic, military, and technological power to do it."

With such an attitude, the US will definitely make more and greater efforts to contain China in the future, Jin said. 

Jin listed a few examples that might bring the "dangerous storms." He said, "The most dangerous threat would be the Taiwan question with no doubt; the second one will be the danger of 'decoupling' between the two largest economies; and third, the US is trying to poison or interrupt China's ties with the Western allies of the US, or in other words, to try to isolate China; fourth, the US will target China's massive overseas interests and the Belt and Road Initiative that still lacks proper protection."

Xi, in the report to the 20th CPC National Congress on Sunday, urged all CPC members to never forget the original aspiration and founding mission and to have the courage and ability to carry on the fight.

China has successfully safeguarded its sovereignty, national security and development interests, or has effectively prevented huge crises in many cases in the past decade, including handling the South China Sea issue hyped by the US, retaliating the trade war launched by the US, restoring peace and order after the Hong Kong turmoil in 2019. So, China has gained enough experiences to handle the "dangerous storms," experts said.

Jin said China will improve its fighting ability through experiencing the fights, and the courage to fight that showed in the past decade will be maintained and carried on. 

In the next five years, the CPC, with a strong core leadership with certainty, consistency, unwavering determination and wisdom, will keep leading China to overcome the challenges and withstand all kinds of high winds, choppy waters, and even dangerous storms from inside or outside the country, analysts said.