The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) working group for Taiwan-related policies is likely to be upgraded to a committee-level body, a report commissioned by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said.
As Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is increasingly likely to upgrade the CCP’s Central Leading Group for Taiwan Affairs, Taiwanese authorities should prepare by researching Xi and the CCP, the report said.
At the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the CCP, which ended on Thursday last week, the party set a target of 2029 for the completion of some tasks, meaning that Xi is likely preparing to extend his term again in 2027, the report said.
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As Xi also leads the Central Leading Group for Taiwan Affairs, Taiwanese authorities should pay close attention to developments related to the group, it said.
“Xi is a strong leader who adheres to the bottom line, is highly confident and does not stick to conventions,” the report said. “His experiences during the Cultural Revolution taught him to patiently wait for opportunities.”
In addition to the Central Leading Group for Taiwan Affairs and the CCP’s Central Foreign Affairs Commission, there are other decisionmaking organizations within the CCP that focus on Taiwan, but are not fully open to the public, such as the General Office of the CCP’s Central Committee, the General Office of the Central Committee of the CCP and the Chinese Central Military Commission, the report said.
“Xi has been in power for 10 years, consolidating power into one body and becoming one of the most influential political figures in the world,” it said. “Xi’s personality, leadership style and decisionmaking style are related to the future development of cross-strait relations, and research on Xi in Taiwan should be bolstered.”
The rivalry between Washington and Beijing has affected the US’ research on China over the past few years, with fewer staff and resources assigned to it, the report said.
Universities and other research institutions in Taiwan that are engaged in China studies should formulate measures to cultivate new research talent to fill the gap, it said.
Xi is likely to increase pressure on Taiwan, centralize and unify his leadership and seek to coordinate the CCP’s Taiwan-related efforts, which would partly involve the establishment of other “leading groups” on Taiwan by provincial and municipal authorities in China, the report said.
Separately, Hung Chin-fu (洪敬富), a professor of political science at National Cheng Kung University, on Saturday said that Xi would likely seek to extend his term in 2027 and remain in power until 2032, when he turns 80.
During a meeting convened by the Central Military Commission last month, it outlined policies for the next four years and emphasized loyalty to Xi, he said.
“‘Xi Jinping Thought’ is still the overall guiding principle in decisionmaking for the CCP, and that is unlikely to change in the short term,” he said.
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