- Admin
Weekly Report 4|59 2.12.22-2.18.22
Highlights
PLA Daily published three additional Commentator Articles on the new “Awarding Military Medals and Honorary Titles Regulations” released on 8 February. (See Propaganda Work section)
Qiushi published Xi Jinping’s speech from the 35th Politburo collective study session on 6 December 2021, which focused on the theme of “constructing a system of socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics.” (See Senior Leaders section)
People’s Daily published a Commentator Article on the upcoming election of delegates to the 20th Party Congress. (See Propaganda Work section)
Senior Leaders
Li Keqiang: Increase the Strength of Agricultural Production Assistance, Grasp Spring Field Management Well According to the Land and Seed [Types], Ensure That Annual Grain Output Continues to Exceed 1.3 Trillion Jin
2.13 Politburo Standing Committee Member and State Council Premier Li Keqiang (李克强) issued “important instructions” at the National Spring Agricultural Production and Strengthening Winter Wheat Field Management Work Meeting in Dezhou City, Shandong. Li’s instructions stressed that “all areas and departments must adhere to using Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as guidance” to implement the Central Committee’s and State Council’s “strategic decisions and deployments” and “firmly grasp spring agricultural production well,” noting that such actions “offer a powerful support for smooth and healthy socioeconomic development.” Mentioning issues in the sprouting of winter wheat, Li highlighted the need for pest control and dealing with extreme weather to ensure a good harvest in summer. He also stressed the importance of “welcoming the victorious convening of the 20th Party Congress with concrete actions” such as “ensuring that annual grain output continues to exceed 1.3 trillion jin” and “ensuring food safety.” Politburo Member and State Council Vice Premier Hu Chunhua (胡春华) also attended the meeting and gave a speech. In his speech, Hu said that attendees “must resolutely implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speech and instructions and Premier Li Keqiang’s instructions and demands.” He also emphasized “completing all of this year’s goals and tasks [related to] the stabilization and increase of agricultural production to the letter” (不折不扣) and promoting the mechanization of agriculture, in addition to raising other points.
Xi Jinping: Adhere to Walking the Path of Socialist Rule of Law with Chinese Characteristics, Better Advance the Construction of a System of Socialist Rule of Law With Chinese Characteristics
2.15 Qiushi published Xi Jinping’s speech at the 35th Politburo collective study session on 6 December 2021. Xi began by stating that the purpose of the collective study session was to both summarize the achievements gained in “constructing a system of socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics” and “analyze [the system’s] problems and deficiencies.” After describing how the Party had “attached a high degree of importance to the construction of the rule of law” since its founding, Xi highlighted how the Party had promoted the rule of law since the 18th Party Congress by taking actions that included placing “comprehensive law-based governance” (全面依法治国) into the “‘four comprehensives’ (四个全面) strategic arrangement.” He specifically noted that the Party’s efforts led to “the advancement of the construction of a system of socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics obtaining historic achievements.” Despite these achievements, Xi noted that the following problems existed in China’s rule of law system: 1. Weak and incomplete legal systems for “important and emerging sectors”; 2. inefficiencies in the “rule of law implementation system”; 3. laxity in the “rule of law supervision system”; 4. weakness in the “rule of law guarantee system”; and 5. “shortcomings in rule of law involving [foreigners or foreign issues].” Next, he gave five recommendations for “constructing a system of socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics”: 1. “Adhere to the correct orientation of constructing a rule of law system” by “adhering to the leadership of the Party, adhering to the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, [and] implementing the theory of socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics” while avoiding “being misled by mistaken Western ways of thinking”; 2. “accelerate legislation for important sectors” such as national security, public health, artificial intelligence, and cloud computing; 3. “deepen the reform of the rule of law sector” by having a “robust rule of law social fairness and justice guarantee system” and fighting against corruption in the law enforcement and judicial spheres while not letting reform result in imitating a Western rule of law system; 4. “use rule of law methods to launch international struggle,” which includes “further improving anti-sanction, anti-interference, and countering ‘long-arm jurisdiction’ (长臂管辖) laws and legislation”; and 5. “strengthen the research and dissemination of rule of law theory.” Xi concluded by calling on “all levels of party committees” to “oppose formalism (形式主义) and bureaucratism (官僚主义)” and implement the Central Committee’s “strategic decisions and deployments” regarding “the construction of the rule of law.”
Wang Chen: Fulfill Delegate Duties According to the Law, [Be] Closely Connected to the Masses and People, Amply Make Use of the Role of Delegates, Develop Whole-Process People’s Democracy
2.16-17 Politburo Member and National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee Vice Chair Wang Chen (王晨) inspected NPC work and met with grassroots NPC delegates in Shandong, where he emphasized that delegates must serve as representatives of the people. Wang met with delegates at Shandong University and various enterprises, China Railway Jinan Group, and an NPC work station in the Huaiyin District of Jinan City, where he discussed development concepts and innovative development, high-speed rail, and delegates’ work with the masses, respectively. He stressed that delegates should study the spirit of Xi Jinping’s speech given at the Central Conference on People’s Congress Work [in October of 2021]; “develop the special advantage of coming from and being rooted in the masses” by more deeply engaging with the people and the masses; and “continue to strengthen the construction of ideology and conduct (作风), constantly raise the ability and level of fulfilling [your] duties, [be a] model of respecting the constitution and law, [and] consciously accept the people’s oversight.” Wang noted the upcoming Fifth Session of the 13th NPC and 20th Party Congress, calling on delegates to unite around the Central Committee’s “strategic decisions and deployments” and perform their duties well.
Propaganda Work
PLA Daily Commentator Article Series on Studying and Implementing “Awarding Military Medals and Honorary Titles Regulations”
2.12-14
PLA Daily published three additional successive Commentator Articles on the new Regulations on military medals and honorary titles released on 8 February.
The third commentary, titled “Walk the Road of Accurately and Carefully Granting Awards,” emphasized that the new Regulations would make the system of military awards more specific and standardized. For example, the Commentator Article said that awards would distinguish between situations of command, combat, and support during wartime, and between situations related to preparation and training, education and management, defense technology, and support services during peacetime. The fourth commentary, titled “Intensify the Honor of Soldiers to Encourage Effects,” described the importance of the military’s glory to encourage troops’ morale and bravery, noting that the new Regulations specified and standardized the requirements for and the rewards associated with military awards. The fifth commentary, titled “Widely Launch Activities for Creating Models of Service for a New Era,” said that the military should use model cases to teach the new Regulations effectively and encourage the enthusiasm of troops. The Commentator Article said that these activities should praise troops that made advances in drills and preparation so as to encourage creativity and enthusiasm in planning and preparing for war.
He Yin (Together for a Shared Future): The “Science and Technology Winter Olympics” Display the Power of Jointly Creating a Beautiful Future
2.15 A He Yin (和音) commentary discussed the role of science and technology in holding the Winter Olympics. Referring to the Winter Olympics as “a window to view China’s scientific and technological innovation,” it made three observations on this topic. First, it stated that the Winter Olympics “displayed China’s global attention-getting (举世瞩目) achievements in innovation and development.” Noting that science and technology in China had “obtained historic achievements” since the 18th Party Congress, the commentary stated that science and technology played a major role in delivering a “splendid, extraordinary, and outstanding” Winter Olympics. Second, it declared that the Winter Olympics “displayed China’s spirit of the times with reform and innovation as the core.” The commentary asserted that the various technologies featured in the Winter Olympics would “empower sustainable development for both China and the world.” Third, it stated the Winter Olympics were “the epitome of innovation promoting the progress of mankind.” Citing the various technological features of the Chinese athletes' uniforms as an example, the commentary stated that “with the promotion of the progress of science and technology, it has become possible for athletes to be faster, higher, and stronger.” It concluded by stating that successfully holding the Winter Olympics demonstrated that “by increasing the strength of scientific and technological innovation and adhering to openness and cooperation, mankind will become faster, higher, and stronger in the face of the challenges of the times and will join hands to create a more beautiful future.”
People’s Daily Commentator Article: Further Improve the Quality and Effectiveness of Intra-Party Democracy in the 20th Party Congress Delegate Election
2.17 People’s Daily published a Commentator Article which called for party groups at all levels to “strengthen the Party’s overall leadership, fully promote intra-party democracy, focus on further improving the quality and effectiveness of intra-party democracy, [and] ensure the chosen representatives of the 20th Party Congress meet the requirements of the Party Central Committee and are supported by the majority of party members,” among other actions. It asserted that “the leadership of the Party and the promotion of democracy are unified, not opposed, [and so] it is not possible to do one thing and neglect the other.” It then called for cadres of every level to “deepen their understanding of the decisive significance of the ‘two establishes’ (两个确立), 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 always maintain a high degree of unanimity with the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core in ideology, politics, and action.” The Commentator Article added that every step of the election process should be “rigorous and meticulous,” with every operation standardized. In addition, before candidates are determined, it called for soliciting the opinions of the discipline inspection and supervision organs at the same level, as well as the opinions of specialized groups like law enforcement and Party-building work organs. In promoting intra-party democracy, the Commentator Article called for step-by-step selection of the best candidates, starting from grass-roots Party groups, then to the recommending danwei party group, and finally to the electoral danwei party group. It further claimed that this is not only a process of “fully promoting intra-party democracy,” but also of “correctly centralizing and strengthening the gate-keeping of the party group.”
In addition, the Commentator Article called for improving election work through methods such as implementing competitive elections with a “difference ratio” of more than 15% and improving candidate introduction methods to enhance electors’ understanding of candidates. It concluded by calling for party members to “unite more closely around the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core, remain true to our original aspiration, keep the mission firmly in mind (不忘初心、牢记使命), overcome difficulties, forge ahead... [and] welcome the successful convening of the 20th Party Congress with exceptional achievements.”
Central Military Commission
Central Military Commission Chair Xi Jinping Signs Order to Publish “Regulations on the Testing and Appraisal of Military Equipment”
2.12 Central Military Commission (CMC) Chair Xi Jinping recently signed an order to publish the “Regulations on the Testing and Appraisal of Military Equipment” (hereafter referred to as “the Regulations), which went into effect on 10 February. The Regulations aim to “scientifically standardize the basic tasks, content, and management system of equipment testing and appraisal under the new situation and the new system”; focus on effectively fulfilling tasks and missions in the new era; and comprehensively focus on war preparations and warfighting. Containing 11 chapters and 56 articles, the Regulations govern the management mechanism for the testing and appraisal of military equipment; focus on assessed requirements of actual combat for equipment; adjust the testing and appraisal workflow; build links between various tests throughout the entire equipment life cycle; and improve the work model for tests and appraisals based on the development trends of “equipment informatization and intelligentization.”
International Liaison Work
2.17 The CCP International Department (CCP/ID) held a hybrid online-offline event with leaders of major Sri Lankan political parties to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Rubber-Rice pact and the 65th anniversary of the establishment of China-Sri Lanka relations. CCP/ID Head Song Tao (宋涛) read a letter from Xi Jinping at the event. Attendees included Prime Minister and Sri Lanka People’s Front (SLPP) leader Mahinda Rajapaksa, Freedom Party Chairman Maithripala Sirisena, United National Party leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, and Communist Party of Sri Lanka General Secretary Weerasumana Weerasinghe.