A grand power move: China's president Xi Jinping at the top
Once, Communist Party functionaries had elevated intra-party democracy to a guiding principle. Under Xi, that has changed.
In his last video column before returning to Germany, Handelsblatt correspondent Stephan Scheuer introduces China's new leadership team. From the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, he reports on the close of the Communist Party congress in October 2017. With president Xi Jinping at the top, the cadres will steer the world's second-largest economy for five years.
Key questions and answers about Xi Jinping
Who is Xi Jinping?
Xi Jinping was born on 15 June 1953 in Beijing. He is the son of Xi Zhongxun, a revolutionary veteran and later vice premier who was among the founders of the special economic zones. Xi Jinping grew up in privileged circumstances until his father fell out of political favour in 1962. During the Cultural Revolution, Xi Jinping was sent to the countryside as a teenager, where he lived and worked for seven years in a village in Shaanxi. He joined the Communist Party in 1974 and then studied chemical engineering at Tsinghua University in Beijing.
What role did his father Xi Zhongxun play in the history of the People's Republic?
Xi Zhongxun was a close companion of Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai during the Long March and the civil war against the Kuomintang. He was one of the first leaders of the Communist Party in Guangdong, where he founded the first guerrilla base. He was appointed vice premier in 1959 and was responsible for propaganda and cultural affairs. He supported Deng Xiaoping's reform-and-opening policy and was instrumental in creating the special economic zones that helped China to its economic rise. He was, however, ousted by Mao in 1962 and persecuted during the Cultural Revolution. He was rehabilitated only in 1978 and served as a party advisor until his death in 2002.
What were the most important stations in Xi Jinping's career?
After his studies, Xi Jinping first worked as a secretary to defence minister Geng Biao, a friend of his father. He rose quickly through the party hierarchy and was appointed party secretary of Zhengding, a county-level city in Hebei, in 1985. He then moved to Fujian, where he held various positions, including governor of the province from 1999 to 2002. He was then transferred to Zhejiang, where as party chief he oversaw rapid economic growth and improved environmental quality. In 2007 he was appointed party secretary of Shanghai, after his predecessor was removed for corruption. The same year he was also elected to the Standing Committee of the Politburo, the party's highest decision-making body. In 2008 he was appointed vice president of China, taking responsibility for the Beijing Olympics and Taiwan policy. In 2010 he was named vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, which cemented his role as designated successor to Hu Jintao. In 2012 he was elected General Secretary of the Communist Party.
Xi Jinping is often called a princeling. What does the term mean?
The term princeling (Chinese: 太子党, taizi dang) refers to the children or grandchildren of high-ranking party cadres who came to power in the Mao era or shortly after. Xi Jinping is a typical princeling, as his father Xi Zhongxun was a revolutionary and a close confidant of Mao Zedong. He was, among other things, governor of Guangdong and vice premier. Xi Jinping grew up in privileged circumstances until his father fell from grace in 1962, and during the Cultural Revolution he was sent to the countryside for re-education. He lived there for seven years in a cave and worked as a farm boy. By his own account, this experience shaped him strongly and made him a determined and pragmatic politician.
What directional decisions has Xi taken for China?
Since taking office, Xi Jinping has made a number of directional decisions that have changed China both internally and externally. The most important include:
1. The anti-corruption campaign: Xi Jinping launched a massive campaign against corruption and abuse of office, targeting both "flies" (low-ranking officials) and "tigers" (senior functionaries). More than a million party members have been disciplined or prosecuted, including some former top politicians such as Zhou Yongkang and Bo Xilai. The campaign is meant to strengthen the party's legitimacy and consolidate its control over society.
2. Centralisation of power: Xi Jinping has consolidated his power within the party and the state by holding several leadership positions and taking key decisions himself. He has also strengthened the role of the leader by having his own ideology written into the party constitution and securing the right to remain in office indefinitely. He has also emphasised the role of the party in all areas of public life and increased its interference in the economy, education, media, culture and religion.
3. Modernisation of the military: Xi Jinping has driven the reform and rearmament of the People's Liberation Army to make it a globally capable force. He has streamlined the military's structure, improved training, renewed technology and promoted loyalty to the party. He has also expanded China's military presence in the South China Sea and reinforced its claims to disputed islands.
4. Renewing socialism: Xi Jinping has formulated the goal of making China a "socialist country with Chinese characteristics" by 2049, the centenary of the founding of the People's Republic. He has defined two stages: by 2021, China is to become a "moderately prosperous society"; by 2035, it is to reach "socialist modernity". In doing so, he has clearly rejected ideas such as Western-style democracy or individual freedoms and press freedom.
Why does Xi Jinping see individual freedoms and press freedom so critically?
Under his rule, the Communist Party has tightened control over society, the economy and the media. Xi Jinping sees individual freedoms and press freedom as threats to the country's stability and security. He believes these rights must be subordinated to the common good and that the party has the authority to define truth. He pursues a policy of "socialism with Chinese characteristics" based on strong leadership, a nationalist ideology and a growing global role for China.
What does Xi's Belt and Road strategy stand for?
Xi's Belt and Road strategy, also known as the "Belt and Road Initiative" (BRI), is an ambitious project that aims to connect China with more than 60 countries in Asia, Africa and Europe through infrastructure investment, trade agreements and cultural exchange. The Belt and Road is meant to advance China's economic development, expand its geopolitical influence and increase its soft power. The initiative is, however, also controversial, as many countries see it as China's attempt to push through its own interests, create debt traps and undermine human rights standards.
How has China's economy developed under Xi Jinping?
Under Xi Jinping, China has become an economic superpower that challenges the US as the world's largest economy. China has achieved impressive growth in recent years, based above all on its industrial production, its export sector and its domestic market. China has also stepped up its innovation, driven its digital transformation and expanded its green energy. Even so, China faces large economic challenges, such as demographic change, social inequality, environmental pollution and dependency on foreign technology.
How are minorities in China treated under Xi Jinping, especially Muslim Uyghurs?
China officially recognises 56 nationalities, of which Han Chinese make up about 92 percent of the population. The other 55 nationalities have a special status that grants them certain rights in education and language promotion. These rights are, however, often restricted or violated, especially in the autonomous regions inhabited by minorities. Conflicts there often arise between local population groups and the central government, which tries to strengthen its control and influence.
The situation of the Uyghurs, a Muslim minority in the western province of Xinjiang, is particularly dramatic. For years they have been heavily monitored, discriminated against and oppressed by the Chinese authorities, who accuse them of supporting separatist or terrorist activities. According to estimates by human rights organisations, more than a million Uyghurs have been interned in so-called re-education camps, where they are forced to give up their religion, language and culture and to subordinate themselves to communism and Chinese nationalism. The Chinese government denies these accusations and claims that these are voluntary education and vocational training centres aimed at fighting extremism and poverty.
What is the Social Credit System and what influence does it have on life in China?
The Social Credit System is a comprehensive regulatory system that aims to promote trust and morality in society. It is based on the collection and evaluation of data about the behaviour of individuals, companies and authorities. The result is a social credit value or score that can rise or fall depending on which norms are met or violated.
The Social Credit System is not yet fully implemented, but there are already numerous pilot projects and local rules covering different aspects of it. There are, for example, blacklists for individuals or companies that don't repay debts or breach contracts. These can lead to sanctions such as travel restrictions, exclusion from public services or social ostracism. On the other hand, there are also red lists for individuals or companies seen as exemplary. These can lead to rewards such as cheaper credit, tax breaks or preferential treatment.
The Social Credit System is meant to strengthen the rule of law and the market economy on the one hand, but also to secure political loyalty and social harmony on the other. Critics fear, however, that it leads to comprehensive control and manipulation of citizens that restricts their individual freedoms and rights.