Why Xi Jinping needs a stronger Communist Party to achieve his Chinese dream

Deng Yuwen says strict internal governance and discipline are clearly the top priority for President Xi Jinping, the latest among generations of Chinese leaders who believe China’s prosperity is inexorably linked to the Communist Party

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Published: 5:30pm, 14 Nov 2017Updated: 7:35pm, 14 Nov 2017

Party governance is President Xi Jinping’s top priority for the next five years; his report to the 19th congress reveals as much: To work with iron, you must be tough yourself, it says. Illustration: Craig Stephens

China’s 19th party congress saw a new leadership team formed, with new political ideology added to the Communist Party’s constitution. It was also announced that socialism with Chinese characteristics had entered a “new era”. As President Xi Jinping’s report to the congress put it, the party must not only have a new look but also new achievements in this new era.

So, what will be the top priorities for Xi and the party in the next five years?

Top of the list will be to improve governance of the party, revive its vigour and make it the mainstay of a country practising socialism with Chinese characteristics. The second priority is to propel economic reform and development to achieve the goals set by the party for its first centennial, and lay the foundation for the bicentenary. Third is to improve China’s diplomatic role, elevate its global governance and create a favourable external environment for the country’s rise. The fourth priority is for Xi to identify and nurture a loyal successor.

Rather than discuss all four priorities, I will focus here on party governance – the top priority for Xi in the next five years.

The party has always said it is the only one that can handle issues in China well. If the party thrives, the country prospers; if the party gets weaker, the country declines. That has been the deep-rooted conviction of generations of party leaders, and especially Xi.

President Xi Jinping: the first five years

During the presidency of his predecessor Hu Jintao, the nation and economy gained strength. However, with the party crippled by corruption, it could only act passively amid social challenges and was unable to lead the nation forward. If this situation had gone on, the party would have ended up repeating the mistakes of the defunct Soviet Union, and it and the nation would have perished. That is why Xi took major steps to overhaul the party and fight corruption in the five years after the 18th congress, with the primary goal being to prolong the rule of the Communist Party.