- Admin
Weekly Report 4|53 1.1.2022-1.7.2022
Highlights
People’s Daily published a New Year’s Day Editorial (社论) reflecting on 2021 and expressing optimism for 2022. (see Propaganda Work section)
Xi Jinping inspected Winter Olympic and Winter Paralympic preparatory work in Beijing. (see Senior Leaders section)
The Politburo Standing Committee met and heard reports from the party groups of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, State Council, Chinese People’s Political Consultative Congress (CPPCC) National Committee, Supreme People’s Court, and Supreme People’s Procuratorate; a work report from the Central Secretariat; and an “important speech” from Xi Jinping. (see Senior Leaders section)
Senior Leaders
President Xi Jinping Delivers 2022 New Year’s Remarks
12.31 On New Year’s Eve, 2021, CCP General Secretary and President Xi Jinping delivered New Year’s remarks through a CCTV broadcast and the internet. Xi said that the country had experienced major events of “milestone significance” for the Party and nation’s history, noting the transition from the first to the second centenary goals. Xi reflected upon the Chinese Communist Party’s centennial and the Party’s history of leading the people to persevere through difficulty; the Sixth Plenum of the 19th Central Committee passing historical resolutions and the effort required to realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Xi referred to his inspection tours throughout the country, saying he took the responses of the people to heart when he asked them about their difficulties. Emphasizing the importance of continued poverty alleviation to the Party, Xi said, “I am also from the country, [and] have personally experienced poverty.” Xi praised “countless ordinary heroes” amid the pandemic and natural disasters. He expressed the mainland’s care for Hong Kong and Macau’s prosperity and stability, calling for solidarity and joint efforts to make “One Country, Two Systems” stable and far-reaching, and expressed that realization of “the complete reunification of the motherland is the shared wish of compatriots on both sides of the [Taiwan] Strait.” Xi noted China’s contributions to international pandemic control efforts and the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics, and expressed New Year’s wishes to Chinese citizens around the world.
Xi Jinping: [Have] Firm Confidence and Continue to Struggle, Grasp All Preparatory Work Well, Guarantee That the Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics are Satisfactory and Successful
1.4 On 4 January, Xi Jinping inspected Winter Olympic and Paralympic preparatory work in Beijing. He was accompanied by Politburo Standing Committee Member and State Council Vice Premier Han Zheng (韩正), Politburo Member and Beijing Party Secretary Cai Qi (蔡奇), Beijing Mayor Chen Jining (陈吉宁) and Politburo Member Ding Xuexiang (丁薛祥). During the inspection, Xi emphasized that “managing the Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics well” was China’s “solemn pledge to the international community,” and stressed the need to do preparatory work well to ensure that both events were “satisfactory and successful.” Xi first visited the National Speed Skating Oval, where he stressed the need to manage the Olympics in way that was “green, shared, and open”; the need to focus on multiple uses and low-carbon in venue construction; and the need to use the venue’s technology to ultimately “make contributions to the comprehensive green transformation of socioeconomic development, the realization of peak carbon, and carbon neutrality.” Next, Xi visited the Winter Olympics and Paralympics Main Media Center (MMC). At the MMC, he stated that the restrictions on Winter Olympic and Paralympic venues due to COVID-19 had made news broadcasts more important in comparison to previous Winter Olympics. Xi also called on the MMC to “guarantee pandemic prevention and control safety” in addition to performing its regular work and expressed hope that both Chinese and foreign reporters would “comprehensively, multi-dimensionally (立体), and vividly transmit the Beijing Winter Olympic extravaganza to the entire world,” among other things.
After visiting the MMC, Xi visited the Winter Olympics and Paralympics Athletes’ Village and its on-site clinic. During the visit, he praised the Winter Olympics Athletes’ Village for being designed for use after the Winter Olympics concluded and brought up the need to “strictly implement all measures for zone and classification closed loop management (闭环管理) and strengthen pandemic prevention and control.” He then met with operation managers, service and operation staff, and volunteers, and encouraged them to ensure the success of the Winter Olympics and show athletes from all countries “the passion, hospitality, and civilized manners of the Chinese people.” Moving on, Xi visited the Beijing Winter Olympics Operations Command Center (北京冬奥运行指挥部调度中心). At the Center, he emphasized the importance of “unified command and arrangement” (统一指挥调度) for both the Winter Olympics and Paralympics and encouraged the Center to “grasp the preparatory work in the final month [before the Winter Olympics],” among other exhortations. Finally, Xi visited the Erqi Factory Training Base for Ice and Snow Sports (二七厂冰雪项目训练基地考察). At the Base, he toured the on-site medical facility and met with athletes and staff. During his visit, Xi emphasized the need to “realize a high level of self reliance (自立自强) in athletic science and technology to establish a major sports country (体育强国),” highlighted the necessity of “promot[ing] the sustained development of [China’s] snow sports,” and encouraged athletes to “increase [their] resolve and courage to win an honor for the country” and “display the spiritual style and competitive level of Chinese athletes in the new era.”
Li Keqiang: Advance and Implement More Vigorous, Combined Reduction of Taxes and Fees, Aid Market Entities’ Financial Relief and Stimulus Energy
1.5 Politburo Standing Committee Member and State Council Premier Li Keqiang (李克强) chaired a symposium summarizing last year’s accomplishments in the reduction of taxes and fees and hearing suggestions for further progress on the issue. Attendees included Politburo Standing Committee Member and State Council Vice Premier Han Zheng (韩正), Politburo Members and State Council Vice Premiers Hu Chunhua (胡春华) and Liu He (刘鹤), representatives of the Ministry of Finance, State Taxation Administration, and several provincial governments, and several experts. Li emphasized the importance of tax and fee reduction at scale as a critical measure for macroeconomic regulation, a part of the response to major economic shocks such as the pandemic, and a component of implementing the new development concept. He noted the need to simultaneously reduce government expenditures and provide financial relief to market entities; continue reforms in “delegating power, streamlining administration, and optimizing services” (放管服); stimulate market entities, spur expanded consumption and effective investment; and advance stable growth, maintain employment, and prevent inflation. Li highlighted the benefits of tax and fee reduction for supporting manufacturing upgrades; the medium, small, micro, and individual enterprises that attract significant employment; and bringing about close linkages between macroeconomic policy and micro-entities, and the need for additional policies to aid market entities such as phased reduction or waiving of social insurance fees and reasonable interest concessions. He called for the continuation of tax and fee reductions supporting small, micro, and individual businesses set to expire at the end of 2021; improvement of tax policies to support technological innovation and research and development; research into targeted tax and fee reduction to aid industries particularly harmed by the pandemic like the service sector; continued transfer payments to aid local governments as they cut taxes and fees; and a crackdown on tax evasion and fraud.
Politburo Standing Committee Convenes Meeting, Xi Jinping Presides
1.6 On 6 January, the Politburo Standing Committee met and heard reports from the party groups of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, State Council, Chinese People’s Political Consultative Congress (CPPCC) National Committee, Supreme People’s Court, and Supreme People’s Procuratorate; a work report from the Central Secretariat; and an “important speech” from Xi Jinping. The Politburo meeting emphasized that upholding the Party’s comprehensive leadership, particularly the “Party Central Committee’s centralized and unified leadership,” was critical in governing the Party and country well, and declared the “milestone significance” of 2021 in Party and state history. The meeting noted the work of the Central Secretariat in fulfilling its duties, implementing the Party Central Committee’s policies, strengthening the construction of the internal party system of regulations, and guiding mass work organizations’ work and reform. The meeting emphasized the significance of 2022 for “comprehensively building a modern socialist country” and advancing towards the second centenary goal, and the need for the party groups of the state bodies at the meeting to follow the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era (习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想); implement the spirit of the 19th Party Congress and its Plenums; “strengthen the ‘four consciousnesses’ (四个意识), consolidate the ‘four confidences’ (四个自信), and achieve the ‘two defends’ (两个维护)”; “promote the great spirit of the Party’s founding”; raise political judgement, comprehension, and implementation; deepen the study and understanding of the decisive significance of the “two establishes” (两个确立); and “maintain a high degree of unanimity with the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core” on ideological, political, and operational matters.
Sun Chunlan Emphasizes: Adhere to the People Above All Else, [One] Absolutely Cannot Use any Excuse to Shirk Responsibility [and] Deny the Masses Treatment
1.6 With regards to many masses’ reports from Xi’an of difficulties seeing doctors or obtaining medical treatment, Politburo Member and State Council Vice Premier Sun Chunlan (孙春兰) convened a specialized meeting to “deploy the work of ensuring medical services, deepen the understanding of the situation, find the crux of the problem, research policy improvements, and have the relevant departments and ‘local responsible comrades’ investigate. Sun expressed sorrow and remorse over the issue, saying it exposed the existence of problems of incompleteness in pandemic prevention and control work, teaching a profound lesson. She described measures to be implemented to ensure the provision of medical services under pandemic conditions, such as immediate care for the critically ill or injured regardless of whether they have proof of negative COVID-19 test results; designated hospitals for continuing healthcare of dialysis and chemotherapy patients, pregnant women, and infants; continued provision and delivery of prescriptions to the chronically ill; neighborhood and hospital systems to arrange the transit and intake of patients to hospitals; and improvement of the emergency call system. Referring to the widely-shared case of a woman who was refused admittance to Xi’an Gaoxin Hospital and suffered a miscarriage, Sun said the Shaanxi party committee and provincial government organized an investigation, punished those responsible, drew a profound lesson, and would improve and reform policy measures.
Propaganda Work
People’s Daily Editorial: Fearlessly Advance on the New Great Voyage
1.1 People’s Daily published a New Year’s Day Editorial (社论) reflecting on 2021 and expressing optimism for 2022. The Editorial described 2021 as a year with milestone significance for the Party and nation, and particular importance for the process of modernization, noting 2021’s success in 1. alleviating poverty, comprehensively building a moderately prosperous society, and achieving the first centenary goal; 2. beginning the second centenary goal of comprehensively establishing a modern socialist country; 3. celebrating the centenary of the Party and launching Party history education; and 4. “advanc[ing] major country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics, uphold[ing] and practic[ing] true multilateralism, work[ing] hard to construct a new type of international relations [and] advance the construction of a community of shared future for mankind.” The Editorial praised Xi Jinping for “steering a steady course at the helm (掌舵领航) as the core of the Party Central Committee and the core of the entire party,” enabling “historic achievements” and “historic transformation.” It noted the upcoming 20th Party Congress and the need to maintain good economic, social, and political conditions, quoting Xi’s warning that the impending great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation requires preparation to pay an arduous and bitter effort. The Editorial said that advancing China’s “new great voyage” would require maintaining strategic determination, resolute confidence in history, and mustering enthusiasm for struggle.
National Propaganda Department Heads’ Conference Opens in Beijing; Wang Huning Attends and Gives a Speech
1.5 On 5 January, Politburo Standing Committee Member and Secretary of the Central Secretariat Wang Huning (王沪宁) delivered a speech at the National Propaganda Heads’ Conference in Beijing. Wang told attendees to “adhere to using Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era (习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想) as a guide”; “strengthen the ‘four consciousnesses’ (四个意识), consolidate the ‘four confidences’ (四个自信), achieve the ‘two defends’ (两个维护)”; and “offer a strong ideological guarantee and a powerful spiritual force for advancing bravely on the new journey and establishing meritorious deeds in the new era,” in addition to delivering other exhortations. He also stated that Xi Jinping had given “important speeches and instructions” concerning propaganda and ideological work since the 19th Party Congress that should be “thoroughly studied and comprehended,” and that their “implementation should be grasped well.” Furthermore, Wang stressed that doing propaganda and ideological work well would involve “giving prominence to the decisive significance of the ‘two establishes’ (两个确立)”; cause Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to “take root in the people’s minds” (深入人心); and “guide the vast number of cadres and the masses” into becoming “firm believers and loyal practicers of the Party’s innovative theory.” Among the additional tasks he discussed, Wang mentioned that China should “build a thick atmosphere” for the 20th Party Congress and “promote innovation in external dissemination and comprehensively upgrade the effectiveness of international broadcasting.” Politburo Member and Propaganda Department Head Huang Kunming (黄坤明) presided over the conference and issued a work plan, underscoring the need to ensure the Party’s leadership over “every aspect of propaganda and ideological work” in order to “better shoulder the glorious mission entrusted by the era.”
Ren Ping: The Rice Bowl of Energy Must Be Carried in One’s Own Hands
1.7 A Ren Ping (任平) commentary addressed the topic of China’s energy security. It first stated that “ensuring energy security is of vital importance (至关重要)” in regards to China “comprehensively building a modern socialist country” and moving towards the second centenary goal. The commentary also noted the importance Xi attached to energy security and reviewed the “deployments and arrangements” of “the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core” to guarantee China’s energy security. Second, it expounded on Xi Jinping’s “Four Reforms and One Cooperation” (四个革命、一个合作 ) energy security strategy. The commentary stated that the “new concepts and demands” that arose from the “Four Reforms and One Cooperation” had ultimately “showed a clear direction for the high-quality development of China’s energy in the new era.” It then went on to discuss China’s accomplishment in regards to the following areas: 1. The “clean and low-carbon” aspects of energy consumption; 2. The provision and quality of energy supply; 3. The use of energy technology as a driver for innovation; 4. Reform of various aspects of the energy sector; and 5. Energy-related international cooperation. Third, the commentary reviewed China’s efforts and successes in improving various aspects of its energy situation from the founding of the People’s Republic of China up to the present. Regarding China’s present energy-related accomplishments, it stated that shifting to use “clean and low-carbon energy” and “realizing the high-quality development [of energy]” could serve as a catalyst for economic growth.
Fourth, the commentary asserted that the “profound complex changes” in China’s domestic and international environments had posed “new demands” for “ensuring [China’s] energy security” and “promoting the high-quality development of energy.” It then addressed the issue of “realizing peak carbon and carbon neutrality,” describing it using terms such as the “solemn promise of constructing a community of shared future for mankind” (人类命运共同体). The commentary noted that China’s promise to achieve carbon neutrality in a short period of time would require “arduous and unsurpassed great effort” and highlighted the need to “deeply implement Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization” (习近平生态文明思想) and more in order to achieve such a goal. It also stated that China’s “faith and confidence” in “holding the rice bowl” derived from the superiority of the socialist system, the experience of reform and opening up, positive domestic economic trends, and the “breakthrough development of energy technology.” Fifth, the commentary stressed the need to guarantee China’s energy security and the “high-quality development of energy” by taking actions such as “deeply studying and implementing Secretary Xi Jinping’s new concepts, viewpoints, and demands related to energy work.” After listing several ways for China to “better grasp the rice bowl of energy,” it called on “all levels of party committees and government” to “align [their] thoughts and actions with the spirit of Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speeches and important instructions, and the strategic decisions and deployments of the Central Committee” in order to contribute to China’s energy security and development. Finally, the commentary noted the Chinese energy sector’s “precious spiritual wealth”; called on “the vast number of front-line energy workers” to “establish new achievements again on the new journey of comprehensively building a modern socialist country”; and expressed hope that China could “offer a strong energy guarantee for realizing the Chinese dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation” and more, by taking actions such as “unswervingly walking the new path of energy development with Chinese characteristics.”
Central Military Commission
Xi Jinping Signs Central Military Commission Order Number One of 2022, Issues All-Military Mobilization Order for Start of Training
1.4 Xi Jinping issued the Central Military Commission’s (CMC) first order of 2022, to begin mobilizing military training. The order called on the military to carry out the Party Central Committee and CMC’s policies and guidance, accurately grasp the changing circumstances of national security and military combat; focus on the changes of technology, warfare, and the opponent; advance the combination of combat and training, systemic drilling, the science and technology of drills, and the transformational upgrade of military training; and train elite troops that excel in combat.
International Liaison Work
1.6 CCP International Department (CCP/ID) Deputy Head Chen Zhou (陈洲) held a videoconference forum with representatives of political parties of southeast and southern Asian countries to discuss the Belt and Road Initiative.