China Hails New ‘Historical Starting Point’ After Xi Resolution

(Bloomberg) -- China has reached a new “historical starting point” led by Xi Jinping Thought, senior Communist Party officials said, after top leaders paved the way for him to rule indefinitely by signing off on the first historical resolution in 40 years. 

Xi’s new doctrine on party history didn’t focus on past “wrongs” because these had been settled in previous documents, officials said at a briefing Friday morning in Beijing. Instead, it summarized the party’s achievements to unite the will and action of the party, officials said. The full text of the resolution hasn’t been released yet. 

Only Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping have authored such a doctrine and both went on to dominate politics until they died. A communique from this week’s plenum said the party should implement Xi’s resolution to meet party goals through 2049, another sign that he’s likely to seek a third term during a twice-a-decade party congress next year. 

China Elite Hand Xi Big Win, Paving Way for Indefinite Rule 

At the briefing, officials covered a wide range of topics, mostly reiterating previous policy statements from Xi and other top party officials. Beyond praising Xi, they blasted Western democracy as a “game of the rich” and spoke about the benefits of “common prosperity.” Since China’s per capita gross domestic product is low compared with other nations, they said, the party needed to “both grow the pie and divide it better.”

Other highlights from the briefing included:

• China should be guided by new development paradigm based on innovation and green growth
• Develop both the public and private sectors unswervingly
• China should handle cases of monopolies and the disorderly expansion of capital
• Development needs to be more balanced, coordinated and inclusive, and guarantee equality of opportunity, rules and rights
• China’s economy has sound fundamentals and is well positioned to realize common prosperity
• People need to be incentivized to get rich through entrepreneurship and hard work
• It’s important to improve social security and transfer system, and raise the share of direct taxes
• China encourages entrepreneurs to participate in charity, but must avoid a “Robin Hood” approach and forced donations
• The Belt and Road Initiative has become a public good, and will pivot to place more emphasis on green development

This week’s plenum was one of seven major meetings in China’s five-year political cycle, and regarded as the most important. It was one of the last chances for horse-trading before the party congress, which the communique said would be held in the second half of 2022.

Xi Jinping Thought was written into the party’s constitution at its 19th congress in October 2017, elevating his political ideas and writings alongside Maoism.
 

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