CHINA’S RULING communists ended an assembly of top leaders this weekend on an embattled but combative note.
They said the party faced “arduous and urgent” new challenges and needed to be more in touch with the rank and file.
Adding to the constant air of intrigue surrounding the decision-making process among China’s leadership, the plenum did not name vice-president Xi Jinping, widely seen as President Hu Jintao’s successor-elect, as vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission.
This could be a sign of factional infighting or, more likely, a sign that Mr Hu is keen to retain influence after he reaches 70 years of age in 2012 and starts to give up his leadership posts.
Top level decisions are not made in a transparent way in China. It is through interpreting events like the plenum that China-watchers try to get a handle on what is really going on inside the central government’s ruling elite, based in Zhongnanhai, Beijing.
Mr Xi (56) had been widely expected by many China watchers to be appointed as a vice-chairman of the commission, which controls the 2.3-million strong People’s Liberation Army.
A communique issued at the end of the four-day meeting – its full title is the Fourth Plenary Session of the 17th Communist Party of China’s Central Committee – had an embattled tone.
It said there were many problems inside the party “that run counter to new circumstances and the party’s character,” which “are severely weakening the party’s creativity, unity and effectiveness in dealing with these problems,” the Xinhua news agency reported.
The communique went on to say that these drawbacks were “severely” harming the ties of flesh and blood between the party and people and the strengthening of the party’s rule. The Communist Party has about 76 million members.
The world was changing, it said, which meant new challenges for party-building and required new vigilance.
The challenges the party faces in reform, market economy and exterior environment are “long-term, complicated and arduous”.
The plenum takes place less than two weeks ahead of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, and it also called for an improvement in the party’s democratic processes and in how decisions are made.
President Hu and other senior leaders have ruled out any form of western-style democracy for China. But the word democracy did pop up with great regularity in the communique.
Even though he was not appointed to the vice-chair of the military commission, Mr Xi was given a lot of attention at the plenum and his political star is definitely in the ascendant.
Mr Xi, who headed the Communist party in the rich eastern province of Zhejiang and in the financial capital Shanghai, was seen as handling the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing with great skill, and he is also in charge of the forthcoming October 1st anniversary celebrations.
President Hu emphasised that the party would “resolutely fight corruption” and “guard against degeneration and ward off risks”.