BEIJING: Xi Jinping emerged from the 20th Communist Party Congress with an unprecedented third leadership term and a Politburo Standing Committee made up entirely of loyalists, cementing his place as China’s most powerful ruler since Mao Zedong.
Under Xi’s decade in powerChina has undergone profound change, both domestically and in the global context.
Here are some of the ways China has changed under Xi-
1. Perceptions of China in the West and in US-allied countries have worsened
Relations between the United States and China have deteriorated considerably in recent years, a decline that has accelerated under former US President Donald Trump. TriumphBeijing’s aggressive turn. But Western perceptions have also been made worse by concerns about human rights, as well as China’s growing aggression toward Taiwan.
two. xi’s campaign against corruption
Upon taking office, Xi launched a campaign to root out corruption within the Communist Party, which has proven popular with the public and, according to many analysts, has also been a useful tool in weeding out political opponents.
3. The taming of once-rebellious borders
The regions of Tibet, Xinjiang and Hong Kong, all far from Beijing, have long created headaches for China’s ruling Communist Party.
Xi launched an unprecedented sweeping security crackdown that brought border areas under control.
In Xinjiang, that included the internment of an estimated one million minorities. uyghur muslims in camps; In Hong Kong, Beijing responded to major anti-government protests in 2019 with a far-reaching national security law. 4. Turning up the heat in Taiwan
Every Chinese leader since Mao has stressed the importance of “reunifying” China with the autonomous island of Taiwan.
But tensions across the Taiwan Strait have risen sharply under Xi, with the People’s Liberation Army increasing its activity on the island in recent years, from military drills to an increase in raids on the Taiwan air defense identification zone. island.
The August visit to Taipei by the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, provoked Chinese military exercises on an unprecedented scale.
5. The State increasingly takes the economic lead
Xi has intensified state control and targeting of the economy, including a broad crackdown on freer parts of the private sector, especially online platforms and for-profit education.
The crackdown on those sectors, as well as the impact of ongoing Covid-19 restrictions, has raised urban unemployment and lowered consumer confidence.
6. Slowing growth, rising revenue
The era of double-digit annual growth ended before Xi took office and the growth rate has been declining, which was inevitable as the size of the economy grows.
Income has risen steadily under Xi.
A growing number of analysts are warning that China’s infrastructure-based, heavily invested model is increasingly unsustainable, with a further slowdown ahead.
7. The crushing of dissent, the expansion of censorship
Xi has cracked down on internal criticism and protests, eliminating space for dissent, while censorship within China’s “Great Firewall” is steadily intensifying.
8. The largest army in the world grows, modernizes
The Xi-led People’s Liberation Army has been closing the gap with the United States, including on the high seas, with major implications for tensions surrounding Taiwan, as China increases its ability to seize the island in what some US officials warn that it is a shorter timeline.
9. China leads in green technology and pollution
As China struggles to shed its reliance on coal, it has become the world’s leading maker of electric vehicles and has won plaudits for its commitment to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. Most visible is that air quality in China has steadily improved over the past decade.
10. With extreme poverty eliminated, inequality persists
Xi describes the elimination of extreme poverty in China as one of the key achievements of the Communist Party in the past decade.
However, inequality has proven to be a more difficult challenge, especially the gap between urban and rural incomes, something Xi is trying to tackle with his “common prosperity” policy.
Official figures for China’s Gini coefficient show that, despite a slight decline in recent years, it still has one of the highest income inequalities among large economies, along with the United States.
Under Xi’s decade in powerChina has undergone profound change, both domestically and in the global context.
Here are some of the ways China has changed under Xi-
1. Perceptions of China in the West and in US-allied countries have worsened
Relations between the United States and China have deteriorated considerably in recent years, a decline that has accelerated under former US President Donald Trump. TriumphBeijing’s aggressive turn. But Western perceptions have also been made worse by concerns about human rights, as well as China’s growing aggression toward Taiwan.
two. xi’s campaign against corruption
Upon taking office, Xi launched a campaign to root out corruption within the Communist Party, which has proven popular with the public and, according to many analysts, has also been a useful tool in weeding out political opponents.
3. The taming of once-rebellious borders
The regions of Tibet, Xinjiang and Hong Kong, all far from Beijing, have long created headaches for China’s ruling Communist Party.
Xi launched an unprecedented sweeping security crackdown that brought border areas under control.
In Xinjiang, that included the internment of an estimated one million minorities. uyghur muslims in camps; In Hong Kong, Beijing responded to major anti-government protests in 2019 with a far-reaching national security law. 4. Turning up the heat in Taiwan
Every Chinese leader since Mao has stressed the importance of “reunifying” China with the autonomous island of Taiwan.
But tensions across the Taiwan Strait have risen sharply under Xi, with the People’s Liberation Army increasing its activity on the island in recent years, from military drills to an increase in raids on the Taiwan air defense identification zone. island.
The August visit to Taipei by the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, provoked Chinese military exercises on an unprecedented scale.
5. The State increasingly takes the economic lead
Xi has intensified state control and targeting of the economy, including a broad crackdown on freer parts of the private sector, especially online platforms and for-profit education.
The crackdown on those sectors, as well as the impact of ongoing Covid-19 restrictions, has raised urban unemployment and lowered consumer confidence.
6. Slowing growth, rising revenue
The era of double-digit annual growth ended before Xi took office and the growth rate has been declining, which was inevitable as the size of the economy grows.
Income has risen steadily under Xi.
A growing number of analysts are warning that China’s infrastructure-based, heavily invested model is increasingly unsustainable, with a further slowdown ahead.
7. The crushing of dissent, the expansion of censorship
Xi has cracked down on internal criticism and protests, eliminating space for dissent, while censorship within China’s “Great Firewall” is steadily intensifying.
8. The largest army in the world grows, modernizes
The Xi-led People’s Liberation Army has been closing the gap with the United States, including on the high seas, with major implications for tensions surrounding Taiwan, as China increases its ability to seize the island in what some US officials warn that it is a shorter timeline.
9. China leads in green technology and pollution
As China struggles to shed its reliance on coal, it has become the world’s leading maker of electric vehicles and has won plaudits for its commitment to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. Most visible is that air quality in China has steadily improved over the past decade.
10. With extreme poverty eliminated, inequality persists
Xi describes the elimination of extreme poverty in China as one of the key achievements of the Communist Party in the past decade.
However, inequality has proven to be a more difficult challenge, especially the gap between urban and rural incomes, something Xi is trying to tackle with his “common prosperity” policy.
Official figures for China’s Gini coefficient show that, despite a slight decline in recent years, it still has one of the highest income inequalities among large economies, along with the United States.
