President Xi’s plan for ‘one country’
Commitment to reunification with China, Hong Kong, Macau
FRIDAY OCTOBER 20 2017
BEIJING: Rain is considered a blessing in Chinese culture because it is ushered in by the national symbol, the dragon. Showers fell steadily as thousands of delegates and about 3 000 journalists descended on the Great Hall of the People for President Xi Jinping’s address to the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) this week.
But President Xi’s revolution of reform for the next five years of China’s political programme was not live tweeted.
While the rains were a good omen for the CPC, it meant little for frustrated journalists cut off from their media houses.
The ban on social media platforms and e-mail services, not approved by Chinese authorities, has been held for the last week as part of security measures before the congress.
Among the African contingent of journalists, only a handful were able to file stories for newspapers, radio and television back in their countries.
The only workaround – which veteran foreign correspondents had worked out before the congress – was to bring a home VPN service that could access outside e-mails and social media platforms.
President Xi outlined a 14-point policy as his report in his capacity as CPC secretary general over a 3-hour speech in the historic Great Hall.
The president’s plan included a commitment to strengthen reunification efforts with China and Hong Kong and Macau. It commits to seek reunification with Taiwan as well.
“All three nations have had strained relations with China over autonomy and independence. But President Xi is talking up reforms to create “one country, two systems”.
Other areas of focusare environmental protection, stable international order and law-based governance free of corruption.
“Both China and the world are in the midst of profound and complex changes,” President Xi said.
“China is still in an important period of strategic opportunity for development; the prospects are bright but the challenges are severe.
“All comrades must aim high and look far, be alert to dangers even in times of calm, have the courage to pursue reform and break new ground, and never become hardened to change or inactive.”
The congress concludes next Tuesday after the party’s highest authority, the Central Committee is installed.