CHINA The 20th Communist Party Congress approaches and difficulties for Xi grow

The pandemic, the economic slowdown and the protests force him to reach an agreement with Premier Li Keqiang. “Nationalist” trips to Hong Kong and Xinjiang to hide the problems of the economy. The profile of Xi’s allies in the race for the rise to power is outlined.

Beijing () – Economic crisis, pandemic emergency, both followed by growing street protests: Xi Jinping seems to be in more and more trouble, and the situation pushes him to reach an agreement with the internal opposition of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) before of its 20th Congress, to be held in the autumn.

The president aspires to a third term in power, something unprecedented. However, his economic failures, especially in the past year, have given rise to the figure of Premier Li Keqiang, who now runs day-to-day affairs to foster recovery.

Several analysts point out that references to his famous slogans, such as “common prosperity”, “double internal and external circulation” or economic “self-sufficiency” have disappeared in Xi’s speeches, in his entourage and in the regime’s propaganda. On the other hand, as Sinologist Willy Lam points out in ChineseBrief, Premier Li is careful not to mention Xi’s “Zero Covid” policy when laying out plans to try to save the economy and hit the 5.5% annual growth target.

According to Lam, to muddle through and hide the problems of the economy, Xi has focused on his two recent visits to Hong Kong and Xinjiang. Both received extensive coverage in the state media, which downplays the country’s disappointing economic performance. The supreme leader led a true “nationalist” promotion in the former British colony, marked in 2019-2020 by large pro-democracy demonstrations, and in the northwestern autonomous region, where Beijing is accused of repressing Uyghurs and other Turkic-speaking minorities and Islamic faith.

Asian Nikkei he also interprets Xi’s double visit as a signal as to which of his protégés might climb the ladder of power. Among those who accompanied him, those who have a chance of entering the Party Politburo are: Foreign Minister Wang Yi, the head of the National Commission for Minorities, Pan Yue, the chairman of the National Commission for Reform and Development, He Lifeng, and Ma Xingrui, Secretary of the CCP in Xinjiang.

Also in the running for promotion are Wang Xiaohong, recently appointed Minister of Public Security, and especially Ding Xuexiang, director of the Party General Office: Ding is a possible candidate for the Politburo Standing Committee, the regime’s decision-making body.

However, all of Xi’s men will have to contend with Li’s faction (the Communist Youth), which could gain important posts if a deal is reached. More importantly, Lam explains, Xi risks being forced to change his political line, abandoning Maoist centralism for a more market-friendly approach.