Xi Jinping ends congress with nationalistic speech
March 20, 2018
The president closed the two-week National People's Congress with the promise of a new era of military might. Xi said that any nation interfering in China's territorial integrity would face "the punishment of history."
Image: Reuters/D. Sagolj
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Chinese President Xi Jinping ended China's annual session of parliament on Tuesday with a strongly nationalistic speech, saying China would never allow any part of its territory to be separated from it.
The speech offered the strongest warning to Taiwan, a self-ruling island, against any attempt at further separating itself from the Chinese mainland. Xi also promised a "new era" of international military and economic supremacy for his country. However, he also said that Beijing would not become a belligerent force.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has been elected for a second term that should have been his last. Following the passing of an amendment that removes presidential term limits, DW looks at Xi's political career so far.
Image: Reuters/Jason Lee
Slow beginnings
Xi Jinping, the son of communist revolutionary and political leader Xi Zhongxun, started his political career when he was finally accepted as a member of China’s Communist Party in 1974. Xi had applied to join the party several times, but was rejected due to his father’s political history — Xi Zhongxun had been purged in 1962 and was then persecuted and jailed during China's Cultural Revolution.
Image: picture-alliance/CPA Media/Pictures From History
Rise to the top
Xi studied chemical engineering at Tsinghua University, but after acceptance to the Communist Party he worked hard to reach the top ranks. In 1982, he started out as a party secretary in Herbei province before advancing to more senior roles in the country, such as numerous provincial governor positions and then party chief in China’s second biggest city and financial hub Shanghai.
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Presidential success
On November 15, 2012, Xi was elected general secretary of the Communist Party and chairman of the Central Military Commission by the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, which informally made him China’s leader. On March 14, 2013, Xi was officially elected president in a confirmation vote by the 12th National People’s Congress. He replaced Hu Jintao who had served his two terms.
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The Chinese Dream
Following his election, the phrase "Chinese Dream" became the political slogan of Xi’s leadership. While some thought it echoed the American Dream, it refers to the rejuvenation of China. Xi has called for the "great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation" and for his country to take its "due place in the world." He said that China is "resolved to fight the bloody battle against our enemies."
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/A. Wong
Historic meeting
On November 7, 2015, Xi met with then-Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou in Singapore, in the first meeting between China and Taiwan's leaders since the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949. However, in March 2018, Xi Jinping warned Taiwan it would face the "punishment of history" for any attempt at separatism. It was Xi's harshest warning yet to the island, which China claims as its territory.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/W. Maye-E
Core leader
On October 27, 2016, Xi was declared the "core" leader of the Communist Party, a title that is bestowed upon a leader who is seen as central to the leadership of the Communist Party of China. Just three others have been given the title, including Chairman Mao Zedong, who's commonly considered to be the founding father of modern China, former chairman Deng Xiaoping and former president Jiang Zemin.
Image: Getty Images/Feng Li
Military influence
In December 2017, the People's Armed Police in China was put under the command of the Central Military Commission, which controls China's military. It put the 660,000-strong force under the direct control of President Xi Jinping, who heads the Central Military Commission as armed forces chief and commander in chief.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo
Indefinite power
On March 17, 2018, China’s parliament elected Xi for a second term and unanimously voted in favor of an amendment to the country’s constitution that removed presidential term limits. China previously had a limit of two terms, a system brought in by former leader Deng Xiaoping in 1982, to prevent lifelong dictatorships. The amendment allows President Xi Jinping to stay in power indefinitely.
Image: Reuters/Jason Lee
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The key points of Xi's speech:
"Maintaining national sovereignty, territorial integrity and complete unification of the motherland is the common aspiration of all Chinese."
"Any actions and tricks to split China are doomed to failure and will meet with the people's condemnation and the punishment of history."
"Every inch of our great motherland absolutely cannot and absolutely will not be separated from China."
"Only those who are accustomed to threatening others will see everyone as a threat."
"History has already proven and will continue to prove that only socialism can save China. ... The Communist Party is the supreme political leadership of the country and the fundamental guarantee to achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation."
Beijing residents react to Xi Jinping's nationalist NPC speech
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Why this matters: Xi's words carry even more weight than usual this year. The People's Congress scrapped presidential term limits, paving the way for Xi to rule indefinitely after his current term ends in 2023. His political ideologies - in particular, his vision for a "world-class" military - which have already been enshrined into the party charter, will continue to hold sway for many years to come. This could prompt fears of what a highly-modernized Chinese army might mean for its many territorial disputes in the region, including in Taiwan and the South China Sea.
What is the National People's Congress? At 2,924 members, China's legislature is the largest in the world. It meets once a year for two weeks to decide major legislative changes and elect new officers of state. It has been described as a "rubber stamp" parliament, as it functions primarily to approve proposals already agreed upon by the president and his staff.
Newly-elected vice premiers and state councillors bow to Chinese President Xi JinpingImage: Reuters/J. Lee
Other key developments: The Congress also saw a number of Xi's most loyal allies promoted to top positions. His former anti-corruption chief Wang Qishan was appointed vice president, while his key economic adviser Liu He became deputy premier. The parliament also changed the country's constitution to broaden the role of the Communist Party in everyday affairs.
Most powerful leader since Mao: Beijing's propaganda machine was working overtime to promote the idea of Xi's lifelong presidency, calling him the country's "helmsman," — a reference to Chairman Mao, who was known as the "great helmsman." The censors also led a massive crackdown on social media criticism of Xi's potential lifelong presidency, banning words like "emperor" and "I disagree."
