Chinese Communist Party Opens 20th National Congress... Xi Jinping Expected to Officially Secure Third Term

Si Juseok Declares Bid for Third Term Before 2,296 Delegates

[Asia Economy Reporter Gu Eun-mo] The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (Party Congress), which is expected to be the 'coronation' for Xi Jinping's third term as China's president, opened on the morning of the 16th at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

General Secretary Xi Jinping entered the venue along with the top leadership members of the Communist Party Central Political Bureau Standing Committee and senior figures including former President Hu Jintao, taking his seat on the presidium. Premier Li Keqiang then declared the opening, marking the start of the seven-day agenda.

Held once every five years, the Party Congress is the largest political event where representatives (delegates) elected to represent over 96.71 million Communist Party members select around 200 new Central Committee members, alternate members, and Central Commission for Discipline Inspection members who will lead China for the next five years, as well as handle amendments to the Party Constitution.

When the list of the 20th Central Committee members is announced on the closing day of the congress, the 22nd, Xi Jinping's third term is expected to be effectively formalized. Then, at the first plenary session of the 20th Central Committee held the following day, the 23rd, the General Secretary will be elected, and the new members of the top leadership bodies?the Central Political Bureau Standing Committee and the Central Political Bureau?will be revealed, officially marking the start of Xi Jinping's third term in power.

On this day, General Secretary Xi will deliver a report to the 2,296 Party Congress delegates elected from various regions and sectors nationwide, outlining the Party's achievements since the 19th Party Congress in 2017 and future policy plans. Since assuming power in 2012, Xi has emphasized the "Chinese Dream" (Zhongguo Meng), and he is expected to highlight the achievement of a "comprehensive moderately prosperous society" (Xiaokang, where all citizens enjoy a comfortable and affluent life), declared in 2021, as a major accomplishment.

He is also expected to present a vision for national governance aimed at transforming China into a "fully socialist modernized country" by 2049, the 100th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, thereby justifying the extension of his tenure. Additionally, he is likely to emphasize the concept of national rejuvenation based on "self-reliance" in response to the United States' efforts to contain China's rise, as well as the idea of a community with a shared future for mankind grounded in multilateralism.

If Xi Jinping is re-elected as General Secretary through this Party Congress, he will become the first Chinese top leader since the reform and opening era began in 1978 to serve three full consecutive five-year terms. Former President Jiang Zemin was re-elected as General Secretary at the 14th and 15th Party Congresses in 1992 and 1997, respectively, after being brought in mid-term as a replacement for Zhao Ziyang following the Tiananmen Square incident in 1989, but he did not serve three full terms totaling 15 years.

Furthermore, it is widely expected that this Party Congress will amend the Party Constitution, as announced last month, to include the "Two Establishes" and "Two Safeguards," which enshrine Xi Jinping's core status in the Party Central Committee and the entire Party, as well as the establishment of the guiding position of Xi Jinping Thought, thereby reinforcing and protecting his leadership.

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