The Chinese Communist Party in working order for its next congress

Europe 1 with AFP 3:28 p.m., September 25, 2022

The Chinese Communist Party announced on Sunday that it had elected all its delegates for its next congress which will begin on October 16 and should allow President Xi Jinping to obtain an unprecedented third term at the head of the country.

This five-year conclave, the 20th since the creation of the Chinese CP in 1921, should also lead to a recomposition of the permanent committee of the all-powerful Political Bureau which holds the reality of power in China.

"Each electoral unit across the country convened a party congress or representative party meeting and elected 2,296 delegates to the 20th party congress," state broadcaster CCTV reported.

The delegates, including women, members of ethnic minorities and economic, scientific and sports experts, must adhere to Xi's ideological orientation and the party constitution, CCTV said.

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The congress, the most important date on the Chinese political calendar, will provide clues about the direction that the most populous country on the planet, and its second most powerful economy, will take in the coming years, today facing many political problems. and economic.

It will also give an idea of ​​the degree of control Xi Jinping wields over the party.

2,300 delegates expected at the congress

At the previous congress in 2017, the strong man from Beijing had entered his "thought" into the founding documents of the Party.

A few months later, the Constitution was amended to remove the limit of two presidential terms.

Xi Jinping can therefore in theory preside over the People's Republic for life.

The planned duration of the congress, organized in Beijing, has not been specified.

The approximately 2,300 delegates representing all the provinces and regions of the country will appoint nearly 200 delegates from the party's Central Committee, who in turn will appoint the 25 members of the Political Bureau, including its all-powerful Standing Committee (seven members today) , the true center of power in China.

Votes that look like formalities, the compositions of the Political Bureau and its Standing Committee seem to have been decided in advance.

While the communist regime gives the appearance of unity, behind the scenes rivalries are rife and the president is still seeking to consolidate his power, analysts say.

Since Xi Jinping took over as Party-state leader in late 2012, more than 1.5 million cadres have been punished as part of a sweeping anti-corruption campaign, according to official figures dating back to several years.

The Chinese number one has long been suspected of using this campaign to attack his internal opposition.

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China in trouble

The congress will open at a time when China is facing many difficulties, including a sharp slowdown in its growth and unemployment which has risen sharply among 16-24 year olds to almost 20%.

However, the Party derives its main legitimacy from the increase in the purchasing power of the population.

The zero Covid strategy, defended tooth and nail by President Xi, is also increasingly contested by the general public and especially the business community, who are alarmed at the threats that confinements pose to activity.

Internationally, points of contention have also multiplied between Xi Jinping's China and the great American rival: trade and technology, the fate of the Uyghur minority in Xinjiang, repression in Hong Kong but also tensions around Taiwan.

This Chinese foreign policy, considered aggressive, worries the West like some of China's neighbors, especially since Beijing has at the same time moved closer to Russia, ostracized by Westerners since its invasion of Ukraine.