The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) announced an earlier-than-expected date for its highly anticipated 20th Party Congress when President Xi Jinping will be appointed to an unprecedented third term in office.
The Party’s Central Committee said the once-every-five-year gathering would take place on October 16th. Most observers had expected a date sometime later in November.
In addition to President Xi’s term extension, the Party is also expected to reshuffle the ruling Politburo Standing Committee, the country’s most powerful policymaking body, in such a way that it will consolidate more power with the President — effectively ending China’s decades-old collective leadership doctrine.
Now that the date is set, both the Party and the government will do everything possible to ensure maximum levels of stability over the next six weeks before the event. Here’s what to expect — particularly for developing countries:
- A QUIET PERIOD: With the focus on domestic politics, Chinese diplomatic activity will likely scale back over the next six weeks. Already, Chinese embassies around the world are pressuring local stakeholders to ensure no problems arise in their jurisdictions in the run-up to the Party Congress.
- ALL XI, ALL THE TIME: Chinese propaganda is going to move into overdrive in the coming weeks to tout the President and the Party. Thanks to China’s vast content-sharing networks in the Global South, expect many “Why Xi Jinping is great” articles and videos to appear in local media outlets.
- BRACE FOR IMPACT: Xi Jinping could emerge from this year’s Party Congress more powerful than any Chinese leader since Mao Zedong and there are clear indications that he’ll be ready to rumble. It’s almost certain that soon after the meeting, he plans to step back onto the international stage in ways that could trigger tensions with China’s rivals like the U.S., India, Japan, Australia, and Europe.
SUGGESTED READING:
- Politico: China sets date for party congress at which Xi will get rare third term by Stuart Lau
- The New York Times: China Sets Key Communist Party Congress for Mid-October by Chris Buckley
