This was the overall takeaway of the speech delivered on the opening day of the 20th Party Congress of the Communist Party of China, by President Xi Jinping. He gave what was billed as a report from the Party Presidium of the work of the party over the last five years. In his report, Xi outlined the important achievements the party had made during the last decade: poverty alleviation, overcoming COVID, and entering a new era of socialism. But more than a “summing up” of past achievements, the speech gave a clear indication of the path the party would follow forward in a situation in which the Anglo-American elites have adopted a program of slowing down or even stopping China’s development.
“China’s development must remain in its own hands,” he said, and in the face of the new attempts to deprive China of access to technology in the West, Xi stressed at some length the key role that developing its own capabilities in science and technology would play in overcoming these obstacles. The shadow of the West’s campaign against China was also reflected in the extensive comments he made about modernizing the Chinese military and taking measures for maintaining security at all levels. “We will build the PLA into a modern force and strengthen it through reform and technology. We will enhance the capability of the military to fulfill their task in rejuvenation of the nation.”
On Taiwan, he laid stress on the importance of developing policies that were beneficial to their compatriots on Taiwan, as opposed to the independence forces on the island and those forces from the outside who are interfering in Taiwan, but at the same time he reiterated that China would never rule out the use of force. “The world is changing in ways never seen before,” Xi said. “We are at a crossroads of history and the result will be decided by the whole world.” “We oppose a new Cold War, double standard, and interference from abroad, but we will never strive for hegemony.” China will continue on the path laid out over the last decade and will adhere to that path regardless of meeting “choppy waters and even storms on the road ahead.”
Xi underlined the key role of the CPC in shaping the development of China as a major economic force in the world, and underlined the fact that it can only play that role if it remains dedicated to the people’s welfare. He expressed the importance of eliminating all forms of corruption in the party over the years, and urged a continued vigilance of party members in that regard. The party has maintained its leading role over the last 70 years only by a process of continual reform in accordance with the changing situation, he stated.
