Aims and Objectives of China’s 19th National Congress
The Communist Party of China (CPC) is all set to hold its 19th National Congress next week on October 18 in Beijing to take critical decisions which would go a long way in materialising the ‘Chinese Dream’.
The congress, held after five years, is being closely watched due to a far-reaching change in the makeup of the top leadership of the Communist Party of China as a majority of the Politburo Standing Committee (top decision-making body in China) is expected to retire at this congress. The moot would also have a review of the achievements made by China during the past five years.
The party delegates at the congress will elect the new leadership of the CPC including the Central Committee and alternate members of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. During the meeting of new Central Committee, the elections of General Secretary (party leader), Politburo, Politburo Standing Committee and Central Military Commission will be held.
The 19th National Congress is expected to set a blueprint for the country to march toward modernisation under the banner of “socialism with Chinese characteristics.”
It will thoroughly examine the current international and domestic situation, and take into account the new requirements for the development of the party and the country as well as new expectations from the people. The congress will draw out guidelines and policies that respond to the call of the times.
The congress is a very important meeting to be held when China is striving for its final victory for achieving a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way, and at a critical time for the development of socialism with Chinese characteristics.
It will hold high the banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics, be guided with Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong thought, Deng Xiaoping theory, the important thought of “Three Represents” and the Scientific Outlook on Development, and thoroughly carry out the essence of President Xi’s series of important remarks and new governance concepts, thoughts and strategies of the CPC Central Committee.
The congress also aims to boost confidence in the path, theory, system and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics, continue to adopt an overall approach to promote economic, political, cultural, social and ecological progress, as well as to advance coordinated development of the “Four Comprehensives.”
The Four Comprehensives refers to a four-pronged strategy floated by President Xi that aims to comprehensively accomplish a moderately prosperous society, deepen reform, advance rule of law, and strengthen strict party governance.
President Xi’s philosophy of governance and his new political theory, the “Four Comprehensives” would be adopted at the meeting. The context is Xi’s vision for “the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation” — which he has named as the ‘Chinese Dream’.
The target year for its initial realisation is 2020, by when China is supposed to become “a moderately prosperous society”. With the Four Comprehensives, Xi highlights what he believes are the four most important policies to make the dream a reality: comprehensively build a moderately prosperous society; comprehensively deepen reform; comprehensively govern the nation according to law; and comprehensively strictly govern the Communist Party.
Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC held in 2012, China has developed by leaps and bounds. China’s GDP has been expanded by an average annual rate of 7.2 percent during 2013-2016, compared with 2.6-percent average global growth and the 4-percent growth of developing economies.
Calculated at 2015 prices, average annual GDP growth was valued at 4.44 trillion yuan ($670 billion) in 2013-2016. The GDP growth has been recorded at 6.9 percent this year, within the 6.7-6.9 percent range for eight quarters in a row. China’s 2016 GDP of $11.2 trillion accounted for 14.8 percent of the world economy, up 3.4 percentage points from 2012.
China’s average contribution to world growth in 2013-2016 was about 30 percent, the largest among all countries and higher than the total contribution from the United States, the Eurozone and Japan.
In employment generation, China created more than 13 million new urban jobs annually for four consecutive years in 2013-2016. New jobs created in the first eight months of this year stood at 9.74 million.
The surveyed unemployment rate in 31 large cities was about five percent. In September, the figure was 4.83 percent, the lowest since 2012. The number of rural residents working in cities rose at an annual rate of 1.8 percent in 2013-2016.
Research and development (R&D) expenditures rose 52.2 percent from 2012 to 1.57 trillion yuan till year 2016 and the share of R&D spending in GDP rose from 1.91 percent to 2.11 percent in the same period. Due to reforms to simplify business registration and streamline approvals, the number of new companies registered in 2014-2016 totaled 13.62 million, an annual increase of 30 percent. In the first eight months, 3.99 million companies were registered.
The number of patent applications China received in 2016 rose 69 percent from 2012, while the number of patents granted rose 39.7 percent from 2012. The share of service output in GDP rose from 45.3 percent in 2012, to 51.6 percent in 2016. In H1 2017, service output accounted for 54.1 percent of GDP.
Foreign direct investment rose by an annual rate of 3.1 percent to $489.4 billion in 2013-2016. Non-financial outbound direct investment rose by an average rate of 21.6 percent to $491.5 billion in 2013-2016.
The per-capita disposable income of all residents rose from 7,311 yuan in 2012 to 23,821 yuan in 2016, an annual increase of 7.4 percent. The figure for H1 2017 rose 7.3 percent year-on-year.
The number of rural people living in poverty dropped to 43.35 million last year, from 98.99 million in 2012. The disposable income per capita of rural residents in poor areas rose 10.7 percent on average in 2013-2016, faster than the eight percent for all rural residents. The average life expectancy rose from 74.83 years in 2010 to 76.34 years in 2015.
In terms of diplomatic offensive, Xi spent 193 days in the past five years on foreign visits made to 56 countries across five continents. Sometimes Xi did not even have time to have a proper meal. Xi has made great efforts to promote people-to-people exchanges between China and other countries. President Xi negotiated with foreign leaders 96 times, and gained great achievements to provide Chinese citizens more convenience to visit other countries. By July 2017, Chinese citizens could visit 64 countries and regions around the globe without a visa, the documentary said.
President Xi proved to be a leader with cultural confidence and a sense of duty over publicity and inheritance of Chinese culture. Currently, multi-polarisation and globalisation is reshaping the international order. China is standing on a historic stage to realise its rejuvenation, so the opportunities and the challenges are unprecedented.
China has started to use its national power to protect its interests and people overseas; to gain leadership of international governance, and to reform the current international political system.
Xi’s anti-corruption battle is going deeper, ensuring strict governance of the CPC systematically, creatively and effectively. The guidelines established at the sixth plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Committee are being implemented in a comprehensive manner and new practice is being guided with renewed understanding.
Xi wants the values of Communists to be upheld, and ideals and belief be firmed with cultural confidence. He has stressing the need to maintain the seriousness of political life in the party and strengthen intra-party supervision.
The president said efforts should be made to address both symptoms and root causes of corruption, comprehensively strengthen discipline and to constantly improve work styles.
“Only by managing the party soundly can we successfully lead the people in handling major challenges, hedge against major risks, overcome major obstacles and solve major contradictions, achieving one victory after another,” Xi said.
Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, “comprehensively and strictly governing the Party” has been included in the strategic blueprint, and efforts have been made to manage the party stringently and carefully, according to Xi.
Nothing is off-limits in the anti-corruption efforts, and zero tolerance has been shown toward corruption, underscoring that the spread of corruption has been curbed and corruption cases that directly impact people’s direct interests have been dealt with.
Thanks to the concerted efforts of the entire party, the party’s discipline has been strengthened and the spread of corruption has been effectively contained and the battle against corruption has gained crushing momentum.
Since its 12th national congress in 1982, the CPC has always stressed “socialism with Chinese characteristics.” Under this banner, China has become the world’s second largest economy and is stepping ever closer to becoming a moderately prosperous society in all respects in the next three years.
As the world’s largest developing country, socialist China’s rise in a playing field dominated by capitalist states has brought fresh ideas in addressing challenges facing humanity in at least ten respects.
China has lifted 700 million people out of poverty in the past 30 years. In the coming three years, another 40 million will be added to the list, meaning 20 people are lifted out of poverty each minute. It is hoped the National Congress will take decisions to help materialise the Chinese dream.
