Xi Jinping Officially Declares "Xiaokang Society"... No More Harassment

China's Communist Party 100th Anniversary Event Attended by Over 70,000 Without Masks
"Emphasizing Strong Military Development Through Reform and Modernization"... Hinting at Standoff with the U.S.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] At 8 a.m. local time on the 1st, Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China. Premier Li Keqiang declared the start of the 100th anniversary event. Following this, as the People's Liberation Army honor guard marched across Tiananmen Square and lined up before Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Communist Party (President), a large Five-star Red Flag was raised to the tune of the Volunteer Army March.

On the 1st, the Communist Party of China held the ‘100th Anniversary of the Founding of the Party’ ceremony at Tiananmen Square in Beijing, attended by the entire leadership including General Secretary Xi and the seven members of the Politburo Standing Committee. Approximately 70,000 people attended at Tiananmen Square, none of whom wore masks.

◆Xi Jinping in a Mao suit: "No more harassment" = Xi Jinping, who attended the event wearing a Mao suit instead of a suit, opened his commemorative speech by saying, "Since the Opium War, China has suffered unprecedented humiliation and disasters," and added, "The rejuvenation of the Chinese nation has been China’s greatest dream." He continued, "Under the mission of leading the happiness of the Chinese people and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, the Communist Party of China has achieved great accomplishments over the past 100 years." At the same time, General Secretary Xi officially declared the establishment of a ‘Xiaokang society’ (a moderately prosperous society where all people enjoy a comfortable life).

Xi further stated, "Our next goal is to develop China into a modern socialist country." He also emphasized, "We have overcome numerous risks and challenges so far. Socialism is the only path for China’s development."

Highlighting the role the Communist Party has played in Chinese history, he said, "The Communist Party united the Chinese people in various battles, including the war against Japan and the Chinese Civil War," and stressed, "The founding of the Communist Party was a significant event that fundamentally changed China’s modern history." Xi also noted the Party’s success in repelling foreign imperialism, stating, "The era when the people were oppressed by foreign powers will never return."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

◆China uniting for another 100 years = Ahead of the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party’s founding, China is literally a ‘red’ wave. The history of struggle gave birth to the Communist Party, and the Party has created a new history, according to China’s leadership. This new history signifies the ‘great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation (Chinese Dream).’

Tang Duo Duo, Deputy Head of the Macroeconomics Team at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, described the significance of the Party’s 100th anniversary as a turning point for ‘poverty eradication.’ He emphasized that at the 16th Party Congress in 2002, the Party promised to build a Xiaokang society by 2020, and the leadership has fulfilled that promise. He also explained that the 100th anniversary event marks a new beginning for realizing the Chinese Dream.

The focus of the day’s event was on the ‘two 100 years’?the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party’s founding and the 100th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 2049. General Secretary Xi emphasized new goals for 2049: achieving socialism with Chinese characteristics and becoming a modernized strong nation.

Xi urged, "The Chinese nation is on the verge of great rejuvenation and boldly and persistently declares its struggle to the world," adding, "Let us advance toward the goals of another 100 years."

◆The 100th anniversary event as Xi Jinping’s power platform = The Communist Party of China meticulously and elaborately prepared for the 100th anniversary event. The most urgent task was COVID-19 prevention. Without improvement in the epidemic situation, the significance of the 100th anniversary would inevitably diminish. This is why China implemented very strict control and prevention measures.

Another priority was the economy. Once the spread of COVID-19 was contained, China began to accelerate its economy from the second half of last year. Promoting the dual circulation strategy (domestic demand-centered growth), it pushed the economy forward. The results have been successful so far. Last year, China’s economy grew by 3.2%. This year, the dominant view is that growth will exceed 8%. The 100th anniversary event is based on China’s economic and social success.

In Beijing’s diplomatic circles, it is widely agreed that the ultimate goal of the Communist Party, including General Secretary Xi, is Xi’s re-election. The success in COVID-19 prevention, the declaration of a Xiaokang society, the 100th anniversary event, and the Beijing Winter Olympics are all aligned with the ‘20th Party Congress of the Communist Party of China’ scheduled for October next year. Since there are no legal issues preventing Xi’s re-election, it is said that only the enthusiastic support of 1.4 billion people is needed.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

◆Strong stance toward the U.S., including military strengthening = The challenge facing China’s leadership is U.S.-China relations. The rapid rise of China has prompted the U.S. and Western bloc to impose checks. In particular, they are pressuring China by pointing out human rights issues, which are China’s greatest weakness. Human rights concerns relate to Xinjiang, Tibet, and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region’s independence movements?all core interests that China cannot concede.

The Taiwan issue is even more troublesome. Taiwan is considered a flashpoint in U.S.-China relations, with the situation described as precarious. The Western bloc’s unity in addressing the China issue is also a burden for China’s leadership.

However, the Communist Party leadership has reiterated that it will not back down from a ‘strong against strong’ confrontation. Xi stated, "On this new journey, we must follow the path of strengthening the military," and added, "We will strengthen the military through building, reforming, and modernizing the military with Chinese characteristics." He further emphasized, "We must learn from history. A strong country must have a strong military, and only a strong military can guarantee national security."

Seemingly conscious of the U.S., Xi added that the Chinese nation’s bloodline contains no gene for invading or dominating others, and that China is a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, and a defender of the international order. Xi’s speech is interpreted as a declaration that China will not retreat in redefining its relationship with the U.S.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.