Weekly Report 4|54 1.8.22-1.14.22
Highlights
On 11 January, Xi Jinping delivered a speech during the opening ceremony of a special discussion session on studying and implementing the spirit of the Sixth Plenum of the 19th Central Committee for provincial-level primary cadres and leaders at the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance). (see Senior Leaders section)
A People’s Daily Ren Ping (任平) commentary praised the Party History Study and Education campaign of 2021 and discussed summarizing and expanding upon its results. (see Propaganda Work section)
The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) published a notice on the study and implementation of 24 December’s “Central Commission for Discipline Inspection Work Regulations.” (see Party Discipline section)
Senior Leaders
Hu Chunhua Directs Consolidation and Expansion of the Achievements of Poverty Alleviation Work in Rural Revitalization Support Counties in Guangxi
1.6-9 Politburo Member and State Council Vice Premier Hu Chunhua (胡春华) visited Guangxi from 6-9 January to direct the consolidation of poverty alleviation work. Hu emphasized implementing the spirit of Xi Jinping’s guidance and deploying [policy] according to central economic and agricultural work meetings. He visited locations such as industrial sites, businesses, relocated villages, and rural households undergoing poverty alleviation. Hu noted the need to continue improving and implementing mechanisms to prevent backsliding into poverty and monitor aid, remove risks and hidden dangers, and ensure against a [large] scale return to poverty; raise incomes of farmers undergoing poverty alleviation to be more proportionate to that of other farmers both locally and nationally; upgrade villages’ special industries, develop industries that enrich the people, and further develop industry foundations; support employment channels for migrant and relocated workers, and promote stable employment for the workforce undergoing poverty alleviation.
Sun Chunlan: Strengthen Comprehensive Planning, Carry Out Differentiated Policies, Practically Grasp All Tasks of Prevention and Control Measures Early, in Detail, and Quickly
1.8 After visiting Shaanxi, Politburo Member and State Council Vice Premier Sun Chunlan (孙春兰) visited Henan to investigate and direct pandemic prevention and control work, visiting cities heavily affected by the pandemic, sites of cluster outbreaks, quarantine sites, hospitals, and sealed neighborhoods. Sun emphasized “thoroughly implementing Secretary Xi Jinping’s guidance on the pandemic and enacting [State Council] Premier Li Keqiang’s (李克强) written instructions and demands”; “accelerating screening, contract tracing, and quarantining”; “identifying and controlling risky persons as soon as possible”; and realizing “zero COVID” as early as possible. She said that “the situation in Zhengzhou is stable overall, the results of [pandemic] prevention and control [efforts] have begun to manifest,” but the city should carry out measures including testing differentiated by district and targeting key districts and communities. Sun noted the spread of the Omicron variant in Anyang, and recommended measures to prevent its spread and to improve the treatment of patients infected by it, such as raising the accuracy of testing.
Xi Jinping Issues Important Speech at the Opening of a Special Discussion Session on Studying and Implementing the Spirit of the 19th Central Committee’s Sixth Plenum for Provincial-Level Primary Leaders and Cadres
1.11 On 11 January, Xi Jinping delivered a speech during the opening ceremony of a special discussion session on studying and implementing the spirit of the Sixth Plenum of the 19th Central Committee for provincial-level primary cadres and leaders at the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance). Xi stated the purposes of the special discussion session included “continuing to guide and deepen the summarization, study, education, and propagation of party history” and “mobilizing the entire Party, entire country, and people of all ethnic groups [to have] firm faith and bravely, firmly go forward” to work for the second centenary goal. He then focused on the importance of ideology, stressing that the Party’s sinicization and modernization of Marxism was “important content running throughout the [CCP Central Committee’s Resolution on the Major Achievements and Historical Experience of the Party’s 100-Year Struggle (hereafter referred to as ‘the Resolution’)]” that must be “deeply studied and comprehensively grasped.” Xi stated that Marxism served as the Party’s “great ideological weapon to know the world, grasp [universal] laws, pursue truth, and transform the world”; and emphasized that Marxist theory was an “action compass” rather than a “dogma” (教条). He also called on attendees to ultimately “continue to write a new chapter of the sinicization and modernization of Marxism in the new era” while China deals with “a large amount of theoretical and practical tasks that [need to be] urgently answered.”
After this, Xi turned to address the importance of the “principal social contradiction” (社会主要矛盾). He told attendees to do things such as understand contradictions, “prioritize resolving principal contradictions and the primary aspects of contradictions,” and ultimately “continually advance toward the goal of comprehensively establishing a socialist and modern strong country.” Next, Xi discussed the importance of strategy. He identified the Party’s ability to strategically assess “major historical issues” as key to its success throughout its history. After highlighting the importance of tactics in strategy, Xi exhorted “every region and every department” to align themselves with the Party’s “theory and line” and “unconditionally implement” the “Party Central Committee’s strategy and strategic decisions.” Moving on, he focused on the Party’s ability to carry out “self-revolution” (自我革命). Xi noted the need for “comrades in the entire Party” to always have the “spirit of self-revolution” despite the successes of anti-corruption efforts, and called on attendees to “continue to fight the tough, protracted battle of establishing clean party politics and struggling against corruption well.” Xi finally focused on the importance of “thoroughly studying and grasping” the Resolution’s “embodiment of our new understanding of the history of the Party’s hundred-year struggle.” He called on the “entire Party” to study the spirit of the Sixth Plenum and the Resolution, and exhorted attendees to use the resources available to them to study party history, education, and mass work. Politburo Standing Committee Member Li Keqiang (李克强) presided over the opening ceremony. Politburo Standing Committee Members Li Zhanshu (栗战书), Wang Yang (汪洋), Wang Huning (王沪宁), Zhao Leji (赵乐际), Han Zheng (韩正), and Vice President Wang Qishan (王岐山) also attended the opening ceremony.
Propaganda Work
Ren Ping: [Be] Firm in Historical Self-Confidence, Walk the New Road to the Examination Well
1.10 A Ren Ping (任平) commentary highlighted major events related to party history during 2021, namely the launch of the Party History Study and Education campaign, the Party’s centennial, and the Sixth Plenum of the 19th Central Committee. It quoted Xi Jinping’s remarks in December that the Party must “continually consolidate the results of Party History Study and Education” and “unite and lead the people of the entire nation and each ethnic group to have full confidence to endeavor on the new voyage [and] make achievements in the new era.” The commentary praised Xi for visiting sites significant to party history and for learning party history, citing Xi’s remarks on the goals and significance of party history education from trips to Fujian, Guangxi, Qinghai, and Tibet. It referred to the campaign as a “comprehensive, profound political education” that improved party members’ awareness of history, theory, and ideology; the Party’s confidence in and consciousness of history; and the Party’s “creativity, cohesion, and fighting spirit.” The commentary said that “the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core” successfully met the challenges of 2021, the first year of the 14th Five-Year Plan. It said the Party History Study and Education campaign helped cadres understand that successfully facing difficult times was “inseparable from the scientific guidance of theory and the firm leadership core,” praising the theoretical importance and political guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era (习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想). It noted that the Resolution “establishes Comrade Xi Jinping as the core of the Party Central Committee and in the core position of the entire Party, and establishes Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era in a leading position.”
The commentary reflected on the historic and modern accomplishments of the Party, stating that the Party’s “hundred-year struggle” opened the correct road for the “great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation,” and that realizing this goal had “entered into an irreversible historical course.” It praised the campaign for making party members understand that the Party’s “great spirit and glorious traditions” are “precious spiritual treasures” and “the strong spiritual impetus encouraging our determined advance,” citing party values such as prudence, modesty, willingness to struggle, and thrift. The commentary emphasized the significance of outreach to the masses and the Party’s history of working for and relying on the people, saying that having empathy for the masses’ problems and enacting policies to resolve them were necessary to turn the results of study into practice and consolidate the campaign’s results. It said that studying and summarizing the Party’s history explains why and how the Party will continue to succeed, expressing confidence in the Party’s leadership, systemic guarantees, material foundation, and spiritual strength, while noting that the Party will face challenges from the pandemic, global instability, and new risks and challenges, requiring perseverance and bravery. Noting the upcoming 20th Party Congress, the commentary stated: “Sincerely summarize the successful experience of Party History Study and Education, establish normalized, long-term systems and mechanisms [for its continuation], continually consolidate and expand” the campaign’s accomplishments, “focus on studying and implementing the spirit of the Sixth Plenum of the 19th Central Committee, push for the whole Party to deeply study and understand the Party’s innovative theory, enrich the great spirit of the Party’s founding, firmly walk the ‘Chinese road’ well, [and] bring about faith and determination for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.”
People’s Daily Commentator Article: Make Strengthening the Party’s Leadership Run Through the Entire Process of the 20th Party Congress’ Delegate Election Work
1.11 A People’s Daily Commentator Article called for electoral danwei and party groups to “raise their political stance; practically strengthen their political judgement, understanding, and administrative abilities; place all items of [relevant] work in an important position; strengthen organizational leadership; meticulously arrange deployments; [and] guarantee the satisfactory completion of delegate election work.” It listed four main requirements for this work: 1. “Carry out extensive mobilization of [party] groups,” educating party members to recognize the significance of the 20th Party Congress, understand election procedures, and actively participate in the nomination process; 2. “Fully develop the leading and gate-keeping role of party groups” by conducting thorough vetting to ensure candidates are qualified and meet political standards; 3. “[Carry out] solemn political discipline, organizational discipline, and election discipline” to prevent and strictly punish violations of election rules, laws, and discipline such as vote-buying; and 4. “Thoroughly, meticulously do ideological and political work well,” educating and guiding party members and candidates to “exercise their right to democracy correctly,” treat the results of nomination and the election correctly, treat unsuccessful candidates correctly, and encourage unsuccessful candidates to view their organizations and comrades correctly, setting aside hard feelings. Additionally, election work should carry out election propaganda with innovative, lively, and well-received methods, fostering a positive climate of speech, and unify ideology with the spirit of the Party Central Committee and direct focus upon the execution of its policies.
Wen Yan: Walk the Path of the Development of Human Rights with Chinese Characteristics, Unswervingly Promote the Project of China’s Human Rights and the Project of the World’s Human Rights
1.12 People’s Daily published an article by Wen Yan (闻言), a pen name of the Central Committee Party Literature Research Office, discussing the release of the Selected Works of Xi Jinping on Respecting and Guaranteeing Human Rights. The article made an effort to summarize the anthology. First, Xi expounded on “the historic contributions and achievements of the [Party] and Chinese government in respecting and guaranteeing human rights.” Second, he examined the evaluation and standards of democracy and human rights, emphasizing the need to combine the “universal values of human rights” with “China’s reality”; “walk a path of the development of human rights that suits China’s national condition”; and “guarantee that the people are masters of their own affairs” (当家作主). Third, Xi set out “a series of new concepts, thoughts, and demands” regarding human rights in the process of “the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core’s” efforts to ultimately “advance the comprehensive development of the great undertaking of human rights.” The developments covered in this section include: 1. “Pursuing a people-centered human rights concept” (以人民为中心的人权理念); 2. “Adhering to the right to exist and the right to development as the most important basic human rights and progressively realizing common prosperity for the entire people”; 3.“Guaranteeing the rights and interests of minorities, women and children, the elderly, the disabled, and other special communities”; and 4. “Strengthening the rule of law’s guarantee of human rights and guaranteeing that the people enjoy extensive rights and freedoms in accordance with the law.” Fourth, he explored how the Party and Chinese government had engaged in actions that included “comprehensively participating in global human rights governance [and] striving to promote the development and progress of the project of the world’s human rights.” The article concluded by urging readers to study Xi’s discourse, “continually promote the great practice of respecting and guaranteeing human rights,” and “tirelessly struggle” to “realize the China dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation,” in addition to issuing other exhortations.
Zhong Sheng: The True Threat to US Democracy Is Its Domestic Politics
1.13 A People’s Daily Zhong Sheng (钟声) commentary addressed the state of US democracy one year after the 6 January 2021 US Capitol riots (hereafter referred to as “the riots”), remarking that “US politics are still coerced by factional disputes” and that popular confidence in US democracy had “reached a new low.” It stated that despite calls after the riots to “rebuild democracy,” both the US Democratic and Republican Parties disagreed on various aspects of what happened during the riots. The article then cited US media in stating that the riots were “an omen of a deeper split.” After this, the article asserted that “the United States’ serious political polarization led lessons to be forgotten and the hope for transformation to be swallowed.” It also stated that US public opinion concerning the riots “revealed a deep disappointment about [the United States’] domestic political predicament.” Moving on, the article stated that “US politicians of both political parties engaging in performance and identity politics out of their own selfish political interests” had “caused the political identification of social groups to drift apart (渐行渐远) and had become the deep-seated problem splitting the United States.” It asserted that antagonism and a lack of consensus between US political parties had created difficulties for “national governance.” The article further stated that both US political parties had become gridlocked and fought one another over issues from “fighting the pandemic” to gun control, remarking that “Failing governance results in the public being even more disappointed in US democracy.” It concluded, “The true threat to US democracy is its domestic politics. Only by facing this reality as soon as possible and carrying out practical actions to alleviate its own ‘democratic deficit’ (民主赤字) can the United States get out of [its] democratic predicament.”
United Front Work
Wang Yang Presides Over CPPCC National Chairpersons’ Meeting
1.14 Politburo Standing Committee Member and Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee Chair Wang Yang (汪洋) presided over and delivered a speech at the 65th Chairperson’s meeting of the 13th CPPCC National Committee. In his speech, Wang emphasized that Xi Jinping had set “clear demands for doing CPPCC work well in 2022” and called on attendees to takes actions such as “earnestly study[ing] and grasp[ing] the spirit of Secretary Xi Jinping’s important instructions [on CPPCC work]” and “conscientiously continu[ing] to carry out the Party Central Committee’s important decisions, deployments, and demands for CPPCC work.” He also asserted that holding the Fifth meeting of the 13th CPPCC National Committee well involved “implementing the Party’s leadership over the entire course of the meeting”; “demonstrating the superiority of the system of democratic governance with Chinese characteristics domestically and internationally”; and “guiding [CPPCC National Committee] members to combine personal experience and action to tell China’s story well, show the Party’s historic achievements and transformation since the 18th Party Congress, and show the unique charm of the new path of Chinese-style modernization.” He also called on attendees to take actions necessary to “focus attention and efforts for the victorious opening of the 20th Party Congress.” The meeting approved the following documents and decided to propose them for review at the 20th meeting of the 13th CPCC Standing Committee: 1. the draft agenda for the Fifth meeting of the 13th CPPCC National Committee; and 2. the drafts of the CPPCC Standing Committee’s work report and proposal work situation report. In addition, the meeting approved the “main points” for the CPPCC’s work in 2022 and listened to a 2021 work report given by the General Office of the CPPCC National Committee.
Party Discipline
CCDI Releases “Notice on Conscientiously Studying and Implementing ‘Central Commission for Discipline Inspection Work Regulations’”
1.14 The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) published a notice on the study and implementation of 24 December’s “Central Commission for Discipline Inspection Work Regulations” (hereafter the “Regulations”). The “Regulations” “fully standardize the functional position of the CCDI, [its] work principles, leadership system, operations, tasks and duties, and self-construction,” applying to all levels of the national CCDI system and all its tasks. The notice said the “Regulations” were “the first-ever foundational, central, and internal party regulation on the comprehensive, systemic standardization of CCDI work,” and “had a strong political, standardizing, and guiding nature.” It called on the CCDI to “widely propagate, explain, and promote the [“Regulations’”] requirements of standardization, legalization (法治化), and normalization” by implementing actions such as having leadership groups model the study of the “Regulations” and incorporating them into training. It also called on the CCDI to link the study and implementation of the “Regulations” to the party constitution and other systems of law and regulations, improving system integration, effectiveness of cooperation, the links between discipline and law enforcement, effective cooperation with the legal system, and raising the ability and level of the CCDI’s work in accordance with rules, discipline, and law. It emphasized that the essence of the “Regulations” was to “promote the standardization, legalization, and normalization of discipline inspection and supervision work, [and] realize the higher demands raised by high-quality development.”
International Liaison Work
1.11 CCP International Department (CCP/ID) Head Song Tao (宋涛) published an article titled “The Party’s International Work is an Important Embodiment of Major Country Diplomacy With Chinese Characteristics,” which explained a variety of reasons that international work is significant for the Party.
1.11 CCP/ID Assistant Head Zhu Rui (朱锐) held a video call with Palestinian Popular Struggle Front Secretary-General Ahmed Majdalani.
1.12 CCP/ID Deputy Head Qian Hongshan (钱洪山) met with Poland’s ambassador to China, Wojciech Zajączkowski.
Organization Work
1.13 Cao Shumin (曹淑敏) was appointed deputy head of the Cyberspace Administration of China.
1.13 Wang Zhengpu (王正谱) was appointed executive president of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
1.13 Yan Pengcheng (严鹏程) was appointed vice president of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
1.13 Huang Ru (黄如) was appointed president of Southeast University.
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