China’s newly-installed President Xi Jinping said Sunday he would fight for a “great renaissance of the Chinese nation”, in his first speech as head of state of the world’s most populous country.
Xi called for “arduous efforts for the continued realisation of the great renaissance of the Chinese nation and the Chinese dream”, in a speech to delegates at the National People’s Congress (NPC) parliament meeting in Beijing. Calls for such a revival in the world’s second-largest economy have been a motif of Xi’s speeches since he took the top post in China’s ruling Communist Party in November, but he has not given a detailed account of the phrase’s meaning.
He has close ties to China’s expanding military — the navy took delivery of its first aircraft carrier last year — and called for the armed forces to strengthen their ability to “win battles”. Beijing is embroiled in a bitter territorial row with Japan over islands in the East China Sea, and with neighbouring nations over claims to the South China Sea.
Xi’s 25-minute address stressed continuity with previous Chinese leaders, thanking outgoing president Hu Jintao, who stood and bowed as China completed the once-in-a-decade transition of its top leaders. Xi also touched on corruption, which infuriates the public and he has called a threat to the party’s grip on power, and urged delegates to “oppose hedonism and flamboyant lifestyles”.
The speech formally brought the almost two-week long NPC meeting in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People to a close, and was followed by China’s new premier, Li Keqiang, stepping into spotlight for a rare news conference. He took control of the day to day running of the government on Friday, a day after Xi was handed the title of president. Li rejected US accusations of hacking, after President Barack Obama weighed in on the issue, calling them “groundless”, but said that the relationship with Washington was vital and the two should work to ensure their mutual interests outweighed their differences.
