- Admin
Weekly Report 4|66 4.2.22-4.8.22
Highlights
Politburo Member and State Council Vice Premier Sun Chunlan (孙春兰) traveled to Shanghai to inspect pandemic prevention and control work and discuss the situation with leaders of Shanghai’s party committee and municipal government. (see Senior Leaders section)
People’s Daily published four additional Zhong Sheng (钟声) commentaries on the United States’ supposed role in starting the “Ukraine crisis.” (see Propaganda Work section)
At a meeting in honor of participants in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, attended by the full Politburo Standing Committee and Vice President Wang Qishan (王岐山), Xi Jinping spoke in praise of the “Beijing Winter Olympic spirit” and its continued enrichment. (see Senior Leaders section)
Senior Leaders
Li Zhanshu: Deeply Study and Implement the Spirit of the Central Conference on NPC Work, Unswervingly Walk the Road of Socialist Political Development With Chinese Characteristics
3.30-4.2 Politburo Standing Committee Member and National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee Chair Li Zhanshu (栗战书) conducted an inspection tour in Anhui on the implementation of the spirit of the October 2021 Central Conference on NPC Work and revisions to the vocational training law, where he emphasized Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism With Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, Xi’s speech on NPC work at the conference that was published in Qiushi in March 2022, the key tasks of the Central Committee’s policy deployments, and the Party’s collective and unified leadership. Li visited villages, enterprises, schools, and provincial People’s Congress bodies in the cities of Hengshan, Xuancheng, and Hefei, where he spoke with cadres and the masses and held discussion sessions on the spirit of the Central Conference on NPC Work, the five levels of NPC delegates, and revisions to the vocational training law. He stressed four main “principles” from the conference and Xi’s speech: 1. Upholding the Party’s leadership of NPC work, as the Party’s leadership ensures the people are masters of their own affairs (当家作主) and governance is according to rule of law; 2. strengthening the role of “scientific theory” in guiding the ideological loyalty of NPC work to the “road of socialist political development with Chinese characteristics”; 3. enhancing the role of the NPC in the development of people’s democracy, meeting the “requirements for rule of law” of both the people and the modernization of governance, and fulfilling assigned duties; and 4. strengthening the “self-construction” of the NPC, guided by “political construction” (政治建设). Li stressed the importance of the NPC’s connection to the masses for the nation’s democracy and the Party’s power, calling on party committees and state organs to support delegates in carrying out their duties and communicating with the masses. He also visited a technical college and company to discuss reforms to standardize and modernize vocational training.
Sun Chunlan: Fight As Hard as You Can, Speedily Control [the Pandemic], Contain the Spread of the Pandemic in the Shortest Possible Time
4.2 Politburo Member and State Council Vice Premier Sun Chunlan (孙春兰) traveled from Jilin to Shanghai to ensure the implementation of Xi Jinping’s and State Council Premier Li Keqiang’s (李克强) guidance and requirements, inspect pandemic prevention and control work, discuss the situation with leaders of Shanghai’s party committee and municipal government, and convey Xi’s concern and sympathy to the city’s cadres and masses. Sun emphasized that the government would persist in its “dynamic zero” COVID-19 policy, and that a resolute, rapid, and strong response to the city’s outbreak was underway, with various ministries mobilizing to aid Shanghai. She heard reports from the State Council expert steering group, held a meeting of experts at the Shanghai Disease Prevention and Control Center, and inspected the situation at areas including the medical facilities set up at the World Expo Pavilion and the Xinjing Wucun residential area of Changning District. Sun noted the challenges of maintaining essential functions and ordinary operations in such a large city in the face of the omicron variant, and called for measures including improving testing and screening capabilities, expanding temporary quarantine hospitals and rapidly accepting infected persons, performing contact tracing of at-risk persons, strengthening the strict control of neighborhoods while ensuring residents’ basic needs and healthcare, and implementing “closed loop” management (闭环管理) of key industries and organizations to maintain essential services and supplies.
Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics Summary and Award Meeting Solemnly Held; Xi Jinping Gives Important Speech
4.8 At a meeting in honor of participants in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, attended by the full Politburo Standing Committee and Vice President Wang Qishan (王岐山), Xi Jinping spoke in praise of the “Beijing Winter Olympic spirit” and its continued enrichment as the nation advances towards the realization of the second centenary goal and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Politburo Standing Committee Member Han Zheng (韩正) issued medals to athletic teams and other “prominent contributors” to the Games. Xi’s remarks noted the seven years of challenging preparation for the Winter Olympics and Paralympics, the successful convening of both events to become the world’s first “dual Olympic city” (双奥之城) despite the pandemic, citizens’ activities related to the Olympics, and the Beijing Olympics’ contribution to global unity. Xi expressed his praise and thanks to Olympic workers and volunteers; athletes and coaches; military, police, public security, and firefighters; and supportive Chinese “compatriots” and diaspora in Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and overseas. Xi stressed the significance of the Party’s leadership to the nation’s accomplishments, such as the abilities of the socialist system in mobilizing, coordinating, and implementing major events; the need for the Party to maintain the initiative to avoid risks; and the importance of the Party continuing to improve the lives of the people. He then described the Beijing Olympic spirit as consisting of “caring about the big picture, [letting] self-confidence bloom, facing difficulties above all, seeking to surpass, and creating a shared future.” Xi also called for continued momentum on the domestic and international development of sports.
Propaganda Work
Zhong Sheng Series: Seeing US-Style Hegemony from the Ukraine Crisis
4.2-4.7 People’s Daily published four additional Zhong Sheng (钟声) commentaries on the United States’ supposed role in starting the “Ukraine crisis.”
The fifth commentary, titled “Who Is Intentionally Prolonging Conflict?” began by noting that the share prices of Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, and other “US military-industrial companies” had “risen substantially” since the start of the Ukraine crisis, rhetorically asking who benefitted from and “intentionally prolonged” the conflict in Ukraine. It elaborated that the US “military-industrial complex” “unceasingly pushes US foreign policy in the direction of war and pursues huge profits by manufacturing war and conflict and provoking arms races.” The commentary asserted that the US military-industrial complex attempts to incite and then profit from the Russia-Ukraine conflict, “counting its chickens before they hatch” (如意算盘),“peddles security anxieties by exaggerating Russia’s ‘military threat,’” and “exaggerates European countries’ need to substantially increase their national defense expenditures and strengthen their ‘military deterrence.’” It added that more than 60 years after US President Dwight D. Eisenhower warned the American people of the dangers of the military-industrial complex, “nobody can control this monster” and that the complex makes clear the “root cause” of the United States’ fondness for war and long-standing rank as the country with the world’s highest military expenditures. The commentary concluded by stressing that although the United States has long considered itself the “beacon of democracy” and more recently exaggerated “narratives of ‘democracy vs authoritarianism,’” the country is actually a “hegemonic war chariot” that has been “kidnapped by the military-industrial complex and other interests groups” and “corrupted by money” and that only brings “turmoil and harm” to the world and its own people.
The sixth commentary, titled “Weaponizing the Economy Will Inevitably Turn On Itself,” focused on the United States applying “unilateral sanctions” against Russia. It asserted that the US desired to use sanctions to “consume Russia on the two battlefronts of the economy and military” instead of seeing an end to the fighting. It further noted that “the Ukraine crisis has caused the world to clearly see the true face of the ‘sanction superpower’ (制裁超级大国) United States unscrupulously (不择手段) defending its hegemony by disregarding the interests of the people of the world.” Expounding further on the suffering that US sanctions on Russia over Ukraine caused for various countries and the detrimental impact of these sanctions on the global economy, the commentary accused the United States of “engaging in financial terrorism” (金融恐怖主义) and said that US “financial hegemony” had caused economic crises in regions such as Latin America and Southeast Asia. Next, it noted how the United States freezing the assets of the Central Bank of Russia had once again shown how the United States “barbarically turned the normal operation and rules of international finance into its tool to wantonly plunder.” Remarking that the United States “using economic hegemony and financial terrorism will inevitably turn on [itself],” it concluded: “The United States should abandon Cold War thinking (冷战思维) soon, let foresight prevail over short-sightedness, let common interest prevail over hegemonic self-interest, and together with all parties protect global long-term peace and stability (长治久安) and sustainable development.”
The seventh commentary, titled “Clinging to Cold War Thinking Undermines International Security Cooperation,” addressed the role that supposed US “Cold War thinking” played in starting the “Ukraine Crisis,” impeding its resolution, and negatively impacting global security. It began by declaring that the United States had “continued to hold to Cold War thinking to engage in the geostrategic ‘great chessboard’” (大棋局) instead of working for peace since the beginning of the “Ukraine crisis.” In addition, it detailed how the United States disavowed pursuing a “New Cold War” while trying to repress China and Russia and viewing them as as “primary strategic competitors,” remarking that “the United States clinging to rigid Cold War thinking is the basic reason for intensified regional and global security tensions.” Next, the commentary addressed how the United States had “passed on a crisis” to Europe by planning to cut Russian supplies of natural gas and stated that US allies felt concern over US plans to supply Europe with natural gas given their experience with the lack of US credibility. After stating that the United States must discard “Cold War thinking, the logic of safeguarding one’s own security at the expense of harming another country’s security, and the method of seeking regional security through the expansion of military blocs” (军事集团) to resolve the “Ukraine crisis,” it concluded: “If the United States truly wants to promote the easing of the situation in Ukraine, it should face up to its own responsibility, stop using chaos to seek a profit, respond to the reasonable security concerns of all parties, and increase hope for global peace through concrete actions.”
The eighth commentary, titled “The ‘Defender’ of Human Rights is Actually a ‘False Defender,’” criticized the United States for supposedly valuing “hegemony” over human rights and sovereignty in its foreign policy and stated that the “Ukraine crisis” made this even more clear. It called the United States the “main offender (罪魁祸首) of global humanitarian disasters,” citing examples such as US military actions in the Middle East and the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia to emphasize that the United States often stated that it cared about human rights but did not speak up about the “refugee crises” its actions caused. Next, the commentary stressed that the United States had “wantonly brandished the big stick of sanctions to protect its hegemony, further worsening humanitarian crises.” It concluded by emphasizing that the resolution to “resolving the humanitarian issue in Ukraine” lay in promoting peace and urging dialogue to push for ceasefires, not “politicizing” humanitarian issues and using them as “an excuse to defend hegemony.” The commentary added: “If the United States truly cares about the humanitarian situation in Ukraine, it should come up with concrete actions to ease the situation and play a constructive role for dialogue and negotiation.”
PLA Daily Commentator Article: Construct a Sound and Perfect Soldier Retirement System, Conscientiously Study and Implement “Provisional Regulations on Soldier Retirement Work”
4.4 A PLA Daily Commentator Article discussed the recently released “Provisional Regulations on Soldier Retirement Work” (hereafter referred to as “the Regulations”), which adapts to the new soldier service system and ensures that soldiers can “serve in peace and retire in accordance with the law.” The Commentator Article stated that the vast number of Chinese soldiers integrated “[their] dreams” (我的梦) into the “dream of a strong country and strong military” (强国梦、强军梦), dedicating their “youth and sweat to the cause of national defense and military construction.” It called for a complete set of military retirement policies and systems that have been standardized and solidified, so that soldiers can “feel the care and love of the organization” and “walk with warmth and comfort, without looking back, to draw a happy end to their military careers.” The commentary observed that recent reforms to military career regulations through the implementation of the new soldier system made detailed specifications for retirement necessary. The Commentator Article called for the establishment of a sound soldier retirement system as part of reforms to the entire process of military enlistment, service, and retirement. The Regulations focus on utilizing the important functions of the retirement system to aid in “important functions” such as service and support for soldiers,” and clarify issues such as who should retire and when. It then stated that a basic concept of this reform to the soldier system is “the longer the service time [and] the greater the service contribution, the better the placement and treatment.” Focusing on implementing this concept, the Regulations clarified aspects of military careers such as types of retirement and talent retention to ultimately support combat effectiveness. Lastly, the Commentator Article called for party committees at all levels to implement the Regulations in order to “retain key talents to the maximum extent,” allow soldiers to serve and retire smoothly, “effectively mobilize positive factors in all aspects,” and “provide strong talent support for the undertaking of strengthening and developing the military.”
People’s Daily Commentator Article: The Basis for Compliance [With] Petition Work for a New Era
4.8 A People’s Daily Commentator Article responded to the publication of “Regulations for Petition Work” (信访工作) the day before, describing them as building on past reforms to petition work, strengthening the Party’s leadership over petitioning, organizing the structure of the petitioning system, and strengthening and standardizing petition work for the new era. The Commentator Article stated that the new regulations were based in Xi Jinping’s “important thought” on strengthening and improving petition work, and that Xi had issued substantial guidance on the practical issues and theoretical significance of petition work. Quoting Xi, the Commentator Article stressed the importance of petition work as a form of mass work; a means for the Party and state to understand the public mood, draw on the public’s wisdom, protect the people’s interests, and condense public sentiment; and a means of public supervision of the work style of institutions and individuals in government. It called on all levels of party committees, state government, and leading cadres to work to resolve difficulties for the masses and their “valid complaints”; “persevere in and develop the ‘Fengqiao Experience’ (枫桥经验, a Mao-era example of local mass mobilization) for a new era”; resolve conflicts as soon as possible while they are still small and at the grassroots level; ensure the masses feel their rights and interests are treated fairly and protected; and focus on petition work so as to secure the mass base of the Party’s power. The Commentator Article emphasized the practical implementation of the new Regulations as a means to resolve valid complaints in accordance with law, prevent conflicts at their source, strengthen the grassroots and governance, make government work more farsighted, systematic, and effective, and conduct mass work well. It concluded by stressing the importance of petition work for the “new journey” towards the second centenary goal, noting goals of this work such as including more closely uniting around “the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core,” upholding the masses’ valid rights and interests, and promoting harmony and stability.
Party Discipline
Mobilization Meeting for Work Related to the 11th Central Inspection Team Inspecting CCDI and NSC Organs Held
4.8 A mobilization meeting for the 11th Central Inspection Team, which will inspect the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) and National Supervisory Commission (NSC) organs, was held recently. At the meeting, the 11th Central Inspection Team Head Pei Xianding (裴显鼎) gave a mobilization speech that emphasized the requirements of “thoroughly studying and implementing General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important thought on inspection work and the Central Committee’s strategic decision and deployments, and practically conducting inspection work.” Pei emphasized that conducting inspections of party and state organs and danwei was, among other things, an “important action to promote the Party’s self-revolution” (自我革命) and called on leading groups in the supervision and inspection commissions stationed in the CCDI and NSC to take actions such as “amply know[ing] the important significance of conducting inspections of central and state organs and danwei” and “resolutely complet[ing] inspection tasks given by the Central Committee.” He then called on inspection teams to “use Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics” as guidance to “take inspecting the strengthening of the ‘four consciousnesses’ (四个意识), consolidating the ‘four confidences’ (四个自信), achieving the ‘two defends’ (两个维护) as the basic tasks” and “discover and promote the resolution of political deviations (政治偏差) of party groups in central and state organs and danwei in carrying out party responsibilities,” in addition to other actions.
Politburo Member, CCDI Deputy Secretary, and NSC Head Yang Xiaodu (杨晓渡) also gave a speech at the mobilization meeting. Yang emphasized that inspecting the CCDI and NSC “amply embodies General Secretary Xi Jinping’s and the Party’s staunch determination to unswervingly [engage in] self-revolution and comprehensively and strictly [follow] party governance” (全面从严治党). He also urged various organs and commissions to “deeply grasp the Central Committee’s strategic consideration of inspection work”; “promote the high-quality development of discipline inspection and supervision work”; and ultimately “welcome the victorious convening of the 20th Party Congress with concrete actions.”
CCDI Deputy Secretary and Secretary-General and NSC Deputy Head Yang Xiaochao (杨晓超) also attended the meeting.
International Liaison Work
4.7 CCP International Department Assistant Head Zhu Rui (朱锐) met with Kuwait’s ambassador to China, Sameeh Essa Johar Hayat.