Weekly Report 4|2 10.17.2020-10.23.2020
Highlights
Xi Jinping commemorated the Korean War this week, saying that the spirit of that war must be carried into the new era (see Senior Leaders section). The People’s Daily also published an editorial to mark the occasion (see Propaganda Work section).
The Politburo met to discuss the “Chengdu-Chongqing Regional Dual Economic Ring Construction Plan Outline” and the Politburo Standing Committee met to evaluate the success of the 13th Five Year Plan (see Senior Leaders section).
Senior Leaders
Politburo Convenes Meeting to Deliberate on “Chengdu-Chongqing Regional Dual Economic Ring Construction Plan Outline” General Secretary Xi Jinping Presides Over Meeting
10.17 On October 17 General Secretary Xi Jinping chaired a Politburo meeting to discuss the “Chengdu-Chongqing Dual Economic Ring Construction Plan Outline.” According to People’s Daily, the plan will allow both cities to “complement each others’ advantages,” and is conducive to a “regional economic arrangement of high quality growth.” The Politburo asserted that important benefits of the regional plan also include “benefits for the expansion of the space for the market [economy], [and] to optimize and stabilize industry-chains and supply-chains.” The regional plan, the report adds, is an “important measure to construct a new development pattern” and “domestic and international rings mutually [will] promote a new development pattern.”
Other important takeaways from the meeting included “[an] emphasis on regional [comparative] advantage and local characteristics, [to position] Chengdu and Chongqing to influence the nation as an important economic center, science and technological innovation center, reform and opening highland, high quality of life and livable place.” The initiative, the Politburo concluded, will “create an important pole of growth and a new driving force for high-quality development across the country.”
At the 24th Collective Study Session of the Politburo Xi Emphasizes Understanding the Significance of Promoting the Development of Quantum Technology and Strengthening the Strategic Planning and Systematic Layout of Quantum Technology Development
10.17 At the 24th Politburo Study Session, Xi delivered remarks on quantum science and technological innovation. Xi emphasized the importance of seizing opportunity in a time of crisis. Xi called on cadres to “fully understand and promote” the development of quantum science and technology, which the General Secretary described as “important” and “urgent.” It is essential, Xi added, to strengthen quantum science and technology “strategic schemes and systems.”
Although China possesses “innovative capacity” and “scientific strength,” Xi acknowledged that the nation is nevertheless faced with “weak points” and “multifaceted challenges.” “We must unswervingly follow the path of independent innovation,” and, China must “strengthen [its] scientific and technological capacity to respond to global risks and challenges,” Xi stated.
Xi described the need for a “system to summarize successful experience in quantum science and technological development [in China], to draw lessons from good foreign practices, and to analyze, in depth, quantum science and technology development trends.” Xi called on all levels of Party Committee and government to “highly value scientific and technological innovation,” “to study new knowledge,” “to grasp new trends,” “to implement well this major assignment [concerning] science and technological development composition planning, to optimize the allocation of science and technology resources,” and to “take effective measures to ensure that the major decisions and arrangements made by the CCP Central Committee on scientific and technological innovation and development are effective.”
Xi Jinping Delivers Key Remarks Regarding the Battle Against Poverty: Do Not Withdraw the Troops Before Total Victory is Attained
10.17 Xi Jinping and Li Keqiang provided remarks and instruction on poverty alleviation work. A People’s Daily report detailing their remarks notes that 2020 is the year in which the “moderately prosperous society will be comprehensively achieved,” and the year in which the “decisive victory in the battle against poverty will be achieved.” Xi emphasized the need for “all levels of local governments and departments to summarize experiences in poverty alleviation, to display the impact of poverty alleviation systems and mechanisms, to continue to push forward the consolidation of success in poverty alleviation, and to combine [this policy] with rural revitalization.” Xi also underscored the need to “maintain complete stability in poverty alleviation policy.”
The National Poverty Alleviation Awards Ceremony was held in Beijing on October 17. At the ceremony, participants studied Xi and Li’s remarks on poverty alleviation work. Participants included officials from Tuquan County in Inner Mongolia’s Hinggan League; Si County in Anhui’s Suzhou; the Village Director from Guangxi’s Jiangmen Village, Yang Ning; the First Village Secretary from Henan’s Qianhe Village, an instructor from Jiangxi’s Zhaoxia Country Baiyang Education Site, Zhi Yueying, and Zhu Zhenyu, Deputy Director of the Transplantation Surgery Department of the Second Center of Liver and Gallbladder Surgery, of the Fifth Medical Center of the People’s Liberation Army General Hospital.”
Xi Jinping: Inherit and Carry Forward the Spirit of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea in the New Era in order to Realize the Struggle for the Great Rejuvenation of the Chinese Nation
10.19 On the 70th anniversary of the Chinese entrance into the Korean War, Xi Jinping toured the Military Museum of the Chinese People’s Revolution in Beijing to see an exhibit marking the anniversary. In a speech at the exhibit, Xi said that the great spirit of the war will inspire the Chinese people and Chinese nation to overcome all difficult obstacles and prevail over all powerful enemies. He emphasized that the struggle demonstrates the patriotic feelings of all ethnic groups that are joined together against one common enemy and the firm determination of the Chinese nation to maintain peace. He declared that it is necessary to thoroughly study the heroic deeds and the revolutionary spirit of the Chinese People’s Volunteers.
Xi Jinping: The Entire Party and All of Society Should Revere, Study from, and Care for Heroes, Gather the Boundless Strength to Realize the Great Rejuvenation of the Chinese Nation
10.22 People’s Daily published Xi Jinping’s 21 October letter replying to disabled military veterans in a convalescent home in Sichuan province. Xi pointed to the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea as an example of the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army “carr[ying] forward the great spirit of patriotism and revolutionary heroism, advanc[ing] bravely, and fight[ing] bloody battles (浴血奋战) to defend the country, and ma[king] importance contributions.” He applauded the veterans’ long-standing support for the Party before stressing the importance of revering, learning from, and caring for heroes to “realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.” He concluded by talking about the success of the convalescent home in Sichuan in supporting disabled veterans and noted that it was honored in 2019 as a model for veteran work.
Politburo Standing Committee Convenes Meeting to Review Summary and Evaluation Report for the Implementation of the 13th 5-Year Plan - General Secretary Xi Jinping Presides
10.23 The Politburo Standing Committee met on 22 October to review a summary and evaluation report of the implementation of the 13th Five-Year Plan. Xi Jinping delivered remarks to the Standing Committee. Xi explained that, “throughout the 13th Five-Year plan, the Party center has united the whole Party, the whole armed forces, and the whole nation, in order to promote the overall layout of the Five-Sphere Integrated Plan, to coordinate and promote the Four Comprehensives, to insist on the ‘fundamental key’ of making progress while ensuring stability.” He emphasized the importance of “unswervingly implementing new development concepts, to persist in providing structured reform as the central theme, and promoting high quality development.” With respect to development, Xi also noted the importance of “resolving forcefully, and in an orderly manner, the contradiction of unbalanced and insufficient development.”
During the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020) period, Xi explains that China “reached a new step in national economic strength, technological strength, and overall national strength.” Xi underscored how “overall economic operations are stable, economic structures continue to be optimized, the modernization of the agricultural industry is steadily advancing, success in the battle against poverty is receiving worldwide attention, the strength of pollution prevention is making unprecedented progress, [China’s] natural ecology [has undergone] distinct improvement, [there have been] major breakthroughs in [the] comprehensive intensification of reform, external openness persists [and is] expanding, there are substantial successes from shared construction [through] the Belt and Road Initiative, the peoples’ living standards [have] distinctly improved, national governance systems and capacity [have become] increasingly modernized.”
The Standing Committee explained that cadres should finish the 13th Five-Year Plan with “all their strength,” and that they should “compile 14th Five-Year Plan work, realistically and without flights of fancy, to follow up victory and to [continue to] advance.” The Standing Committee asserted that cadres should be “persistent and to not let up in mission of poverty alleviation, to be unmoved in the preservation of pollution prevention, to be on guard,” in order to “resolve significant risks, to be untiring in improving the people’s welfare, to perfectly complete all objectives and assignments in the 13th Five-Year Plan, and to ensure the goal of completing the construction of a moderately prosperous society.”
Regarding the upcoming 14th Five Year Plan, the Standing Committee underscored the importance of “striving to construct a new pattern of development in which both domestic and international ‘cycles’ play a leading role.” The Standing Committee also noted the importance of “deeply understanding new challenges and contradictions,” which have emerged from a “‘tangled and complicated’ international environment.” The Standing Committee concluded that cadres must “implement new development concepts and ‘stick closely’ to promoting high quality growth.”
Propaganda Work
PD Editorial: Vigorously Promote the Mighty Spirit of Resisting US Aggression and Aiding Korea - Commemorating the 70th Anniversary of the Deployment of the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army
10.23 On October 23 People’s Daily published a commentary marking the 70th anniversary of the Korean War. The editorial notes that it is important to “revive memories of the immortal historical contributions of the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army.” The author explains that the “it is of great significance to carry forward the great spirit of resisting US aggression and aiding Korea and to inspire and mobilize the whole Party, the army, and all of the nations’ ethnic groups to break through hardships and bravely advance into [a] new era.”
The commentary quotes Xi Jinping’s recent speech (see Senior Leaders section) as saying that “victory in the war of resistance against America and to aid North Korea is a victory for righteousness, peace, and for the people.” The war, Xi explained, “was imposed upon the Chinese people by [an] imperialist aggressor.” “The Chinese people love and cherish peace; protecting world peace, and resisting hegemonism and power politics is a sacred obligation,” Xi noted. Xi lambasted “so-called ‘democracy,’ ‘freedom,’ and ‘human rights’ as pretense to wantonly wade into other nation’s internal affairs.” The “spirit” of the Korean war is an “extremely valuable spiritual wealth” for China, he noted. Xi concluded that “history will confirm that the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation cannot be stopped.”
International Liaison Work
10.19 International Department Deputy Head Guo Yezhou (郭业洲) met with Danish Ambassador to China Thomas Østrup Møller.
10.19 International Department Assistant Head Li Mingxiang (李明祥) delivered a speech at the opening ceremony of a three-day webinar for Liberia Congress for Democratic Change Party cadres.
10.20 International Department Head Song Tao (宋涛) delivered a speech at the first meeting of the China-Nepal Trans-Himalayan Multi-Dimensional Connectivity Network.
10.20 International Department Deputy Head Shen Beili (沈蓓莉) held a video conference with Brazil Worker’s Party Secretary of International Relations Romênio Pereira.
10.22 Song Tao delivered a speech at the opening ceremony for the “Shanghai Cooperation Organisation +” International Political Party Forum.
10.22 Guo Yezhou delivered a speech and jointly hosted a BRICS political party roundtable.
10.23 Shen Beili delivered a speech at the opening ceremony of a webinar for United Socialist Party of Venezuela cadres.
Organization Work
10.23 Hao Junhui (郝军辉) was appointed chief accountant of the State Taxation Administration.
10.23 Rao Lixin (饶立新) was appointed chief auditor of the State Taxation Administration.
10.23 Xiang Libin (相里斌) was appointed deputy minister of the Ministry of Science and Technology.
10.23 He Ping (何平) was appointed president of the Xinhua News Agency.
10.23 Halmurat Abdurahman (哈里木拉提·阿不都热合曼) was appointed deputy commander of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps.
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