- Admin
Weekly Report 4|63 3.12.22-3.18.22
Highlights
Qiushi published Xi Jinping’s 20 September 2019 speech at the Central People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) Work Conference and celebration of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the CPPCC. (See Senior Leaders section)
A Zhong Sheng (钟声) commentary addressed Russian claims that the United States had reportedly conducted a “biological military cooperation program” in Ukraine and called for greater international scrutiny of such programs. (See Propaganda Work section)
The Politburo Standing Committee convened to analyze and issue a policy response to the current COVID-19 situation in China. (See Senior Leaders section)
Senior Leaders
Sun Chunlan: Carry Out the Thoroughest Pandemic Prevention and Control Measures, Contain the Momentum of the Spread of the Pandemic as Soon as Possible
3.13 Politburo Member and State Council Vice Premier Sun Chunlan (孙春兰) inspected and guided pandemic prevention and control work in Jilin on 13 March. Visiting COVID-19 hotspots and meeting with medical personnel and cadres, Sun called on “Party and government cadres at all levels to earnestly unify [their] ideology and actions with the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important instructions regarding pandemic prevention and control, implement the strategic decisions and deployments of the Central Committee and State Council,” and ensure the reduction of COVID-19 cases in society to zero “as quickly as possible,” in addition to issuing other instructions. She also stressed the need to accelerate contact tracing, combine nucleic and antigen testing, and “upgrade [Jilin’s COVID-19] detection capability” to “ascertain the background of the pandemic as soon as possible”; prevent mass outbreaks in locations such as schools and retirement homes through “strictly enforcing pandemic prevention and control measures”; and categorize those with COVID-19 by severity of symptoms to prevent serious cases of COVID-19 from occurring. Moreover, Sun called for cadres and volunteers to receive stronger training and “increase the implementation capability of grassroots [pandemic] prevention and control policies.”
Xi Jinping: Speech at the Central CPPCC Work Conference and Celebration of the 70th Anniversary of the Founding of the CPPCC
3.16 Qiushi published Xi Jinping’s 20 September 2019 speech at the Central People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) Work Conference and celebration of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the CPPCC. Xi began by calling the CPPCC “the great outcome of the combination of Marxist-Leninist theories of the united front, political parties, and democratic governance with China’s actual condition” and reviewed the CPPCC’s history. He then listed the “new set of demands” for CPPCC work since the 18th Party Congress, namely: 1. “Strengthen the Party’s leadership over CPPCC work,” 2. “correctly grasp the nature and position of the CPPCC,” 3. “give play to the CPPCC’s specialized consultation mechanisms,” 4. “adhere to and improve [China’s] new type of political party system,” 5. “extensively gather the will of the people and power,” 6. “focus on fulfilling the duties of the core tasks of the Party and state,” 7. “adhere to a CPPCC for the people,” and 8. “promote the construction of the ability to fulfill duties by using the spirit of reform and innovation.” After remarking on the need to harness China’s political and systemic superiorities and expounding on the demands of “strengthening and progressing” CPPCC work in the new era, Xi listed the areas of work that the CPPCC needed to “grasp well”: 1. “Make use of the specialized consultation mechanism of the CPPCC” by accepting opinions and criticism and refining the pre- and mid-consultation decision implementation mechanisms; 2. “strengthen ideological and political guidance and extensively gather consensus” to create a unified ideological foundation and foster the unity necessary to realize national rejuvenation; and 3. “strengthen the assumption of responsibility by [CPPCC] committee members” and have them adhere to the Party’s “basic theory, line, and strategy” while carrying out their work honorably. After calling on “every level of party committee” to incorporate CPPCC work into their daily work, Xi concluded by expressing hope that the CPPCC would “unswervingly (坚定不移) advance along the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics and continue to struggle to realize the second centenary struggle goal, the Chinese dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and the people’s desire for a better life!”
Politburo Standing Committee Convenes Meeting, Xi Jinping Presides
3.17 The Politburo Standing Committee convened to analyze and issue a policy response to the current COVID-19 situation. In remarks at the meeting, Xi Jinping said that with the normalization of pandemic prevention and control work, China had protected the safety and health of its citizens “to the greatest extent,” maintained a “global leadership position” in economic development and pandemic prevention and control, and shown the strength of China’s prevention and control policies and the advantages of its Party-led political system. Xi emphasized that “perseverance is victory” and called for actions such as containing the pandemic’s current spread, improving vaccines and rapid tests, enacting more targeted measures, ensuring stability and continued socioeconomic development, striving to “gain the greatest prevention and control results for the lowest price,” and minimizing socioeconomic disruption. The meeting stated that cluster outbreaks had appeared in many places, becoming large in scope and frequent, and that pandemic prevention and control work must implement early detection, reporting, isolation, and treatment to contain them. It stressed preserving the order of daily life, producing necessary supply of basic items, and ensuring the provision of medical treatment; improving the scope, speed, and responsiveness of the COVID-19 testing system; improving control of port areas and preventing imported cases; educating the masses on the importance of disease control work, following relevant measures, and protecting themselves; promoting and increasing vaccinations; and disseminating information in a timely manner, providing propaganda guidance, and addressing the public’s concerns. In conclusion, the meeting called for all areas and departments to unite around the Central Committee’s strategic decisions and deployments, warned against complacency and laxity, called on leading cadres and officials in areas affected by outbreaks to prioritize pandemic prevention and control work, and stressed that violations of duty that allowed outbreaks would be punished.
General Offices of the Central Committee and State Council Release “Plan for Pilot Areas for a State-Owned Natural Resource Assets Principal-Agent Mechanism”
3.17 The General Offices of the Central Committee and State Council released a Plan for reforming the system of property ownership of state-owned natural resource assets; establishing pilot areas for a natural resource property rights principal-agent mechanism; and clarifying the ownership, rights, duties, and supervision of natural resource asset owners. Aspects of the Plan include 1. standardizing the model of ownership, with the State Council representing the country in exercising ownership of state-owned natural resource assets, and duties divided among agents of local governments and branches of the Ministry of the Environment; 2. establishing a list of natural resources, including a list of resources where ownership will be directly exercised by the central government and a list of resources for pilot areas where ownership duties will be exercised by agents of provincial- and city-level governments; 3. requiring relevant departments and provincial/city governments to establish a property rights management system based on owners’ duties; 4. researching management goals and key points of work for different types of natural resources; and 5. improving systems to complement the entrustment system, exploring the establishment of mechanisms for examining and reporting agents’ management of the resources. The pilot areas should be established in all provincial-level administrative areas by 2023.
Propaganda Work
People’s Daily Editorial: Unite and Struggle to Create a New Great Undertaking
3.12 People’s Daily published an Editorial (社论) congratulating the 13th National People’s Congress (NPC) on the closing of its fifth session. Reviewing the major accomplishments of the fifth session, it remarked that “the success [of the fifth session] injects strong power into promoting the development of projects of the Party and state, continually capturing new victories for socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era, and gathering wide-ranging consensus.” Noting the opportunities and challenges presented by a complex international environment and domestic tasks regarding development, reform, and stability, the Editorial stressed the importance of maintaining a good economic, social, and political environment in light of the 20th Party Congress later this year. It then addressed the need to adhere to the five “roads” that Xi Jinping mentioned during his meeting with the Inner Mongolia delegation to the NPC on 5 March and emphasized “firmly holding the destiny of China’s development progress in [our] own hands.” After this, the Editorial talked about using united struggle to overcome difficulties and challenges that lay ahead and explored the NPC’s relation to democracy. Calling the NPC an “important institutional vehicle (制度载体) for realizing [China’s achievement of] whole-process people’s democracy” (全过程人民民主), it called for “perfecting the NPC system in step with the times (与时俱进) and strengthening and improving NPC work in the new era.” The Editorial concluded: “Let us unite more closely around the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core; comprehensively implement Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era; deeply grasp 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); … welcome the victorious convening of the 20th Party Congress with concrete actions and push forward the historic great undertaking of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation!”
People’s Daily Editorial: Transmit Faith, Friendly Affection, and Hope to the World
3.14 People’s Daily published an Editorial (社论) on the closing of the 2022 Beijing Winter Paralympic Games. Declaring that Beijing’s hosting of the 2022 Winter Paralympics after already hosting the 2008 Paralympics would “inevitably enter into the annals of the project of global parasports,” the Editorial made two main points about the Paralympics. First, it characterized the Winter Paralympics as exhibiting opportunities for “self-challenge and breaking limits.” It noted China’s performance in the Winter Paralympics and said that it would ultimately serve as a “powerful force for the people of the entire country to bring [as they] struggle on the new journey and establish a new era.” Second, the Editorial characterized the Winter Paralympics as “promoting unity and advancing friendship” through venue design, services for athletes, and the work of volunteers. After noting how China had “made contributions to the global development of the international parasports movement” since 2008 and how the Winter Paralympics presented an opportunity to demonstrate China’s “systemic superiority” in advancing the cause of the disabled, the Editorial concluded: “Let us join hands together and advance bravely together for a shared future, jointly promote the continuous development and progress of the projects of the disabled, and jointly write a brand-new chapter in constructing a community of shared future for mankind” (人类命运共同体).
Zhong Sheng: Spreading Misinformation Cannot Hide the United States’ Own Culpability
3.15 A Zhong Sheng (钟声) commentary stated that “some US politicians and media were yet again creating and spreading disinformation, using the Ukraine issue to carry out smears against China.” The commentary reiterated China’s position: that it had not wished to see the Ukraine situation develop as it did; that China has objectively judged the situation “on its own merits”; that the issue has a complex historic background and must be resolved calmly and rationally; that China respects the UN Charter and all countries’ sovereignty and territorial integrity; and that a solution should be reached through peaceful dialogue, consider the indivisibility of security and “all relevant sides’ valid security concerns,” and create a “balanced, effective, and sustainable” mechanism for European security. It emphasized that China took a “responsible” approach to Ukraine rather than “pouring gasoline on the fire” or “trying in vain to manufacture a crisis, shift blame for the crisis, or go fishing for benefit in a crisis” like “certain other countries.” The commentary also expressed China’s disapproval of the use of sanctions to resolve the crisis, condemning the United States’ “excessive” use of “unilateral” sanctions in general, particularly during the Trump administration. It then accused US media and politicians of spreading (unspecified) disinformation about Ukraine, saying this was reminiscent of the United States’ lengthy history of using false information as a pretext for war. The commentary cited the United States’ false claims about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq prior to the Second Gulf War and cast doubt on evidence of the Syrian government’s use of chemical weapons collected by the “Western intelligence-funded” White Helmets humanitarian aid organization. It concluded by citing former US Ambassador to the Soviet Union George F. Kennan’s criticism of NATO’s expansion as a “fateful error of US policy,” accused the United States of planting the seeds of the current crisis, and urged the United States to “cease lying and deceiving, hiding the facts,” and instead take on responsibility, doing more to ease tensions, work for a resolution, and benefit peace.
Zhong Sheng: [Whether] Observing or Violating Treaties, the Facts Will Triumph Over Making Excuses
3.16 A Zhong Sheng (钟声) commentary addressed Russian claims that the United States had reportedly conducted a “biological military cooperation program” in Ukraine. It began by claiming that the United States conducted the “most bio-military activities globally” of any country and was a “bio-military empire.” The commentary then stated that the United States pulling out of talks to establish a Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) verification protocol in 2001, preventing other countries from verifying US compliance with BWC, and accusing would-be investigators of the United States of spreading disinformation amounted to “classic bandit logic (强盗逻辑) and hegemonic behavior.” After identifying supposed inconsistencies in how the United States had described its biological research activities in Ukraine, the commentary rhetorically asked why the United States had so many biolabs, why the United States could not release “public health information,” and whether its biolabs in other parts of the world had the same cooperative agreement that the United States had with Ukraine. Next, it said that the United States owed the world an explanation and expressed hope that the United States would clarify its “bio-military” activities in Ukraine and around the world and stop opposing the implementation of a BWC verification protocol. The commentary closed by stating that by evaluating documents provided by Russia relating to supposed US bio-military activities in Ukraine and listening to the United States’ explanation of its activities “under the framework of the UN and the BWC,” the international community could help strengthen global faith in US efforts to “fulfill its international duty” and “increase the level of global biosecurity.”
Central Military Commission
General Office of the CMC Issues Notice Requiring the PLA and PAP to Convey and Study the Spirit of the Fifth Session of the 13th NPC
3.14 The General Office of the Central Military Commission (CMC) issued a Notice requiring the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and People’s Armed Police (PAP) to “earnestly convey and study the spirit of the fifth session of the 13th National People’s Congress (NPC)” as well as the spirit of Xi Jinping’s 7 March speech to the PLA and PAP delegates to the NPC. The Notice pointed out that Xi’s above-mentioned speech affirmed the achievements made in military construction and national defense in the past year, made “comprehensive arrangements for the implementation of the strategy of governing the army according to the law,” and “put forward clear requirements for firmly grasping war preparations and warfighting.” The Notice further stated that “governing the military according to law is the basic way for our Party to build and govern the military” and is an “inevitable requirement to realize the Party’s goal of building a strong military in the new era” (新时代的强军目标). It emphasized that studying the spirit of the fifth session and Xi’s speech should be incorporated into the party committee’s theoretical study center group at the regiment level and above, the ideological and political education of the military, and the teaching of political theory courses in military education and institutes so as to “effectively unify thoughts and actions.” It further emphasized “comprehensively strengthening the leadership of the Party and the building of the Party,” guiding officers and soldiers to “deeply understand 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 implementing the CMC Chairman Responsibility System (军委主席负责制). The Notice lastly stressed paying close attention to the implementation of the 14th Five-Year Plan, “strengthening the legal guarantee of the Party’s absolute leadership over the military,” and accelerating the fundamental change in the way the military is governed, among other things.
Party Discipline
Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and National Supervision Commission [Hold Meeting on] Conveying and Studying the Spirit of the Two Sessions
3.14 Politburo Member, Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) Deputy Secretary, and National Supervision Commission (NSC) Director Yang Xiaodu (杨晓渡) convened and spoke at a meeting of CCDI and NSC bodies on the spirit of the Two Sessions. Yang emphasized studying and understanding Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, understanding the significance of the “two establishes” (两个确立), linking and implementing the spirit of the Two Sessions and the policy deployments of the Sixth Plenum of the 19th CCDI, “fully developing the execution of supervisory guarantees,” advancing and improving [the CCDI-NSC’s] role in development, and welcoming the 20th Party Congress with concrete actions. Yang emphasized the importance of speeches by Xi Jinping, and Politburo Standing Committee Member and CCDI Head Zhao Leji (赵乐际) explained requirements for the study and implementation of Xi’s speeches and the Two Sessions’ policies, including focusing on politics; strictly following discipline; taking measures to ensure a good political, economic, and social environment; and developing a spirit of self-revolution.
International Liaison Work
3.11 CCP International Department (CCP/ID) Assistant Head Zhu Rui (朱锐) held a video call with Ahmad El Hariri, Secretary-General of Lebanon’s Future Movement party.
3.15 CCP/ID Head Song Tao (宋涛) held a discussion meeting on “The Chinese Communist Party in the New Era” and a seminar on “Telling Stories of Democracy and Development Well: The Responsibilities and Role of Parties, Media, and Think Tanks” with representatives of political parties, media, and think tanks from sixteen Arab nations.