CCTV reported that Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, President of the State, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, attended the meeting of the National People’s Congress army and armed police delegation on the afternoon of March 7.
According to official media reports, Xu Qiliang, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, presided over the meeting.
Xi Jinping stressed that the military should “step up preparations for war”, assist local governments “to maintain overall social stability”, “timely and effectively handle various emergencies”, and maintain “national security and stability.”
The re-election of the 20th National Congress is currently the biggest political issue in Xi Jinping’s mind, and the focus in 2022 is “stability”.
Senior media personality Chu Bailiang reported in the New York Times on March 5 with the title “Xi Jinping’s reign is a crucial year, and China’s economic goals seek stability”, saying that the anxiety caused by the Ukraine war has swept the world, but this seems to have nothing to do with Beijing. Considering how to “stabilize” the slumping economy, Xi Jinping will likely announce a new term in the fall of 2022.
Li Keqiang read out the “Government Work Report” on March 5, saying that this year’s work is the word “stability”. According to media statistics, the report mentioned “stable” 81 times.
“Stable” seems to be the state Xi Jinping currently expects. At the meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China held on February 25, Xi Jinping emphasized that the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China will be held this year, which is a very important year.
Craig Singleton, a researcher at the Foundation for Defense of Democracy, a think tank in Washington, pointed out that for Xi Jinping, the most important “top priority” at the moment is to maintain stability and ensure a smooth re-election at the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China this fall. .
The New York Times also said in a February 14 report that before the 20th National Congress, Xi Jinping was already trying to prevent the undercurrent of dissatisfaction from converging into opposing forces, and he did not want any surprises to “undermine the euphoric momentum of the party’s congress.” “.
Chu Bailiang’s March 5 report that a woman in China’s Jiangsu province was chained in a windowless shack sparked public outrage. The woman became a symbol of injustice, but CCP censors have been trying to Delete online discussions about her, and Li Keqiang did not mention her.
After the Beijing Olympics, the crisis of the Russian-Ukrainian war, and the CCP’s two sessions and other hot-spot events that have attracted media attention, and the CCP authorities have used state power to implement a comprehensive ban, the “Chain Girl” incident in Fengxian County, Xuzhou, Jiangsu has continued to attract public attention in China. , more women abduction and trafficking incidents have been exposed by the public, showing that the “chain girl” is not an isolated incident under the CCP’s rule, but a common crime.
According to external observation and analysis, at this politically sensitive moment, Xi Jinping met with representatives of the CCP’s army and the People’s Armed Police, and asked them to assist local governments in “timely and effectively handling various emergencies”, showing that the CCP’s crisis is not only reflected in economic and financial aspects , Chinese civil forces are awakening with the help of the “Chain Girl” incident, and the anger accumulated by the people against the CCP’s rule is being ignited.
It is worth noting that the CCP’s defense budget this year is 1.45 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 7.1%, an increase of 0.3 percentage points from last year, and the largest increase since 2019.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said in the government work report that military training and combat readiness should be strengthened; however, judging from Xi Jinping’s speech to military representatives, Zhongnanhai is more anxious about domestic “stability” while worrying about geopolitical tensions.
Gao Wenqian, an expert on the history of the Communist Party of China and the author of Zhou Enlai in His Old Age, said that even if Xi Jinping is re-elected at the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, it will still be difficult and difficult to move forward. And in the end, the final outcome is anger and resentment.