On July 24, the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) convened a meeting where it was decided that the Sixth Plenary Session of the 16th CCP Central Committee would be held in October. The main event at the session will be the presentation of a Politburo report to the Central Committee on research into the construction of a harmonious society.
Last month's Politburo meeting also discussed and studied China's economic prospects and economic accomplishments.
Following tradition, the CCP will hold its 17th National Congress, at which power will be redistributed, in the autumn of next year. Prior to the congress, the Central Committee will hold its Seventh Plenary Session to make the final arrangements. This means that the personnel arrangements will basically be made at the Central Committee's Sixth Plenary Session this October.
As a result, infighting and power struggles in the CCP are bound to intensify.
Five years ago, former Chinese president Jiang Zemin (江澤民) led the CCP's 16th National Congress, where he arranged for his supporters to serve in the highest policy-making body so that they could pressure President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤).
Hu is always preaching the importance of harmony, but the Chinese public believes that while he speaks about public harmony, he is in fact driving at the disharmony between himself and Jiang. As the CCP's 17th National Congress approaches, these things will become clearer and clearer.
On April 6, Jiang made an appearance at the 110th anniversary celebration of Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Top cadres from the CCP's Shanghai branch accompanied Jiang throughout the visit and the university gave him the red-carpet treatment, displaying a huge banner reading "Chairman Jiang, your Alma Mater Welcomes You" and addressing him as "General-Secretary."
The next day, however, the slogan and the title were deleted from a long report that had been posted on the university's Web site.
May 1 marked the first day of China's "golden week" holiday, with millions of tourists traveling around the country. Jiang took the opportunity provided by the holiday to visit Tai Mountain in Shandong Province to admire the sunrise there. As a result of his visit, big groups of tourists were barred from climbing the mountain, thereby letting all Chinese people know that "Chairman Jiang" is still in good health and traveling around the country.
Some Chinese Web sites posted photos of Jiang being carried on a sedan chair flanked by Shandong provincial party Secretary Zhang Gaoli (張高麗).
Outraged by these photos, Hu decided to release former Beijing party chief Chen Xitong (
Recently, people close to Jiang have been investigated, such as the financial dealings between the wife of Huang Ju (
Zeng, whose father was a high-ranking CCP cadre, has been called an "ace strategist" within Zhongnanhai. Zeng turns 68 next year, which is the age of retirement given his level within the party. However, according to media reports, Zeng has pledged allegiance to Hu, and will therefore be allowed to remain in his post as a counterweight to Jiang's supporters.
July 1 marked the opening of the Qinghai-Tibet railway. Hu presided over the opening ceremony in Golmud, Qinghai Province, while Zeng's confidante Zhou Yongkang (
China recently released official figures which showed economic growth of 11.3 percent in the second quarter. Investment in fixed assets in urban areas also increased, up 31.3 percent compared with the same period last year.
China's economy is heating up faster than expected, but Beijing dares not forcefully implement macroeconomic controls to consolidate the support of local government leaders amid power struggles.
Paul Lin is a political commentator based in Taipei.
Translated by Daniel Cheng
Recently, China launched another diplomatic offensive against Taiwan, improperly linking its “one China principle” with UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 to constrain Taiwan’s diplomatic space. After Taiwan’s presidential election on Jan. 13, China persuaded Nauru to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Nauru cited Resolution 2758 in its declaration of the diplomatic break. Subsequently, during the WHO Executive Board meeting that month, Beijing rallied countries including Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Belarus, Egypt, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, Laos, Russia, Syria and Pakistan to reiterate the “one China principle” in their statements, and assert that “Resolution 2758 has settled the status of Taiwan” to hinder Taiwan’s
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s (李顯龍) decision to step down after 19 years and hand power to his deputy, Lawrence Wong (黃循財), on May 15 was expected — though, perhaps, not so soon. Most political analysts had been eyeing an end-of-year handover, to ensure more time for Wong to study and shadow the role, ahead of general elections that must be called by November next year. Wong — who is currently both deputy prime minister and minister of finance — would need a combination of fresh ideas, wisdom and experience as he writes the nation’s next chapter. The world that
The past few months have seen tremendous strides in India’s journey to develop a vibrant semiconductor and electronics ecosystem. The nation’s established prowess in information technology (IT) has earned it much-needed revenue and prestige across the globe. Now, through the convergence of engineering talent, supportive government policies, an expanding market and technologically adaptive entrepreneurship, India is striving to become part of global electronics and semiconductor supply chains. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Vision of “Make in India” and “Design in India” has been the guiding force behind the government’s incentive schemes that span skilling, design, fabrication, assembly, testing and packaging, and
Can US dialogue and cooperation with the communist dictatorship in Beijing help avert a Taiwan Strait crisis? Or is US President Joe Biden playing into Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) hands? With America preoccupied with the wars in Europe and the Middle East, Biden is seeking better relations with Xi’s regime. The goal is to responsibly manage US-China competition and prevent unintended conflict, thereby hoping to create greater space for the two countries to work together in areas where their interests align. The existing wars have already stretched US military resources thin, and the last thing Biden wants is yet another war.