Leaders and peoples must steel themselves to face a more bellicose China under Xi
By electing Xi Jinping as its general secretary for the next five years, the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party has made him emperor in all but name. He has also secured reappointment as head of the country’s Central Military Commission. In March next year, the 69-year-old is also expected to get a third term as China’s President. CCP oligarchy has become one-man rule. The post-Mao period was marked with power-sharing among the CCP top brass. But in Xi, all powers have once again concentrated. He has already been called the most powerful leader since Mao Zedong—a remarkable feat for a leader who came to power in 2012. Xi has steadily and systematically removed all (potential and actual) rivals from the bodies that exercise control, filling them with his confidantes. The world saw former president Hu Jintao being unexpectedly, almost unceremoniously, escorted out of the closing ceremony of the Congress of CCP. He was “not feeling well” was the official explanation for the act. In the video that went viral, however, Hu seemed reluctant to leave the ceremony. Xi has not only ensured the exit of persons who are not close to him but also appointed four of his allies in the newly announced Politburo Standing Committee (PBSC). The remaining PBSC members are also his confidantes. Though Xi Jinping Thought, in line with Mao Zedong Thought, is yet to become the guiding philosophy of the CCP, Xi is quite close to that.
During Xi’s rule, China’s gross domestic product or GDP has more than doubled to $17.73 trillion, as has the per capita income, from $5,910 in 2012 to $11,890 by 2021. This is on account of a decline in birth rates; but that is now becoming a problem. Good economic growth, however, has not resulted in a comfortable employment situation. Since 2019, unemployment rates have remained above 5 per cent. In the 16-24 age group, it is 19.9 per cent. Xi doesn’t want such facts to be talked about; at least he didn’t in his opening speech at the CCP’s 20th Congress. China’s military expenditure has also doubled since 2012; it is now $208 billion, as compared to around India’s $77 billion. This spells trouble for the world, especially countries like India which are in China’s neighbourhood, not just because of the high defence spend but also the aggressiveness Beijing has become known for in its interaction with the world; most nations have problems with China on one account or the other—trade, the Belt and Road Initiative, wolf warrior diplomacy, border disputes, spread of Covid, et al. Unbothered by the apprehensions the world has, a defiant Xi reportedly urged party members to steel themselves against numerous challenges including a hardening geopolitical climate. India and other countries are already suffering from the multifarious threats emanating from Beijing; it is leaders and people in other countries who must steel themselves to face a more bellicose China — Xi’s China.