XI-Jinping Strengthens His Power at the Chinese Communist Party Congress

In its hundred years of existence, the CCP has so far adopted only two resolutions.

In 1945, the first strengthened the authority of Mao Zedong, four years after the Communists came to power.

In 1981, the second gave Deng Xiaoping, while he was in the process of launching economic reforms, the opportunity to turn the page on Maoism, by recognizing the “mistakes” of the great helmsman through the excesses of the Cultural Revolution, which had significantly weakened the economy.

These resolutions were thus taken before a new political era began. By pushing for the adoption of this third resolution, Xi-Jinping is following in the wake of his predecessors, while preparing the turning of a page on which he will write his name.

The 6th plenum was held behind closed doors, in the presence of 197 members of the Party’s Central Committee, 151 substitutes, and a few other officials.

The text of the resolution reviewing the achievements of the CCP over the past hundred years, is woefully destitute. It consists of a series of self-celebrations by the Party, supposedly united with the people – systematically specified as “multi-ethnic.”

In its conclusion, the resolution underlines that “the whole Party must not in any way deviate from Marxism-Leninism, from the thought of Mao Zedong, from the theory of Deng Xiaoping, from the important thought of the ‘Triple Representation’ and the concept of scientific development; that it must fully apply Xi Jinping’s thinking on Chinese-style socialism in the new era.”

“The fundamental theory, line, and strategy of the Party must be firmly applied,… while endeavoring to resolutely preserve the central position of Secretary General Xi Jinping within the Central Committee and the Party as well as the authority and centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee.” A plebiscite with a blank check.

Xi-Jinping has thus achieved a status that only Mao had in the past. He has been able to develop a more aggressive foreign policy, with growing hostility towards Taiwan and territorial claims in the South and East China Seas, as well as bringing Hong Kong to heel.

With the abolition of the two-term presidential limit in 2018, Xi is expected to reign until at least 2027. He has never designated a successor.

This cohesion – whose link is half ideology, half terror – allows Xi-Jinping to crush all resistance, particularly minorities, especially religious minorities, who are seen as obstacles to the great triumph of socialism – always announced, never realized.

One thing is certain, Chinese Catholics will continue to suffer the regime’s persecution and the end of their ordeal is not yet in sight.