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The 20th National Congress

Political struggle will now replace economic prosperity as the main party line, as the concept has been written into the newly amended CCP charter. The CCP replaced the philosophy of economic construction of the past four decades with the philosophy of political struggle. This will be the new party line and the new program. The new party constitution added "dare to fight and strengthen the ability to fight" and emphasized "inheriting the red gene" [3] . Scholars believe that the new party constitution shows that the construction philosophy of the Communist Party in the past forty years has since been replaced by the philosophy of struggle.

Political struggle generally refers to the struggle of the proletariat to overthrow the reactionary rule of the exploiting classes and establish and consolidate the dictatorship of the proletariat. It is the highest form and the main decisive form of proletarian struggle, and it also generally refers to the struggle between various classes, political parties and political groups. It is usually carried out in conjunction with economic struggles and ideological struggles, but there are differences between them. As class conflicts become increasingly acute and gradually develop into national and national struggles, they will inevitably become political struggles. In socialist China, the exploiting class as a class has been eliminated, and the situation and conditions of political struggle have undergone tremendous changes. In the political struggle surrounding the adherence to the Four Cardinal Principles , the central issue is still the regime issue, that is , the struggle to consolidate the state power of the people's democratic dictatorship or to change the nature of this regime. On the other hand, this kind of political struggle is often manifested as ideological and theoretical struggle in the field of ideology. Marxism believes that human nature can be transformed endlessly, so as long as punishment and education are combined, a group of new people without self-interest can be created. During October's Party Congress, Xi cemented his unprecedented third term as the general secretary of the CCP, while further consolidating his power base by eliminating political rivals and appointing loyalists to the Politburo Standing Committee, the CCP's top decision-making organ.

Li Keqiang and all the other heirs to Deng Xiaoping's economic development line have all been purged. Former Shanghai party chief Li Qiang succeeded outgoing economic reformer Li Keqiang as Xi's second-in-command and therefore most likely candidate for premier, while Xi stalwarts Zhao Leji and Wang Huning remain in the seven-member Politburo Standing Committee. They have been joined by newly promoted former Beijing party chief Cai Qi, former party general office director Ding Xuexiang and former Guangdong party chief Li Xi, all of whom were formerly members of the Politburo.

The Political Bureau of the 20th Central Committee is composed of 24 comrades who are familiar with various aspects and fields of work. They all have higher education and professional knowledge. The new members of the central leadership body conform to the standards of Marxist statesmen, take the lead in supporting the "two establishments", enhance the "four consciousnesses", strengthen the "four self-confidences", and achieve the "two maintenances", and are able to adapt and continue to make overall plans. "Five-in-one" overall layout and coordinated promotion of the "Four Comprehensives" strategic layout requires strong leadership in modernization construction, courage to take responsibility and struggle, rich leadership experience and mass work skills, and are the party's ruling backbone in all aspects.

The much-anticipated 20th Party Congress took place from 16 to 22 October 2022. The 20th Party Congress was expected to map out major strategies to stave off intensifying global turbulence while promoting the optimization of international governance.

The CPC, led by Mao Zedong, accomplished something which had never previously been achieved in human history – to establish a socialist state in a developing country. This, as analysed above, achieved both the re-establishment of China’s sovereignty and an immense improvement in the life of the Chinese people. Lenin had shown how socialism could be created in an imperialist country – thereby creating Marxism-Leninism. Mao Zedong and the CPC for the first time showed how the working class could take power and begin to construct socialism in a developing country. As Xi Jinping put it: “building socialism in a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society like ours is an unprecedented undertaking.“ This established Mao Zedong, together with Lenin, as the most important developer of Marxism since Marx and Engels themselves.

In his report, Xi observed that China’s modernization path serves as a juxtaposition to the Western approach to modernization. It signals the country will pursue a more assertive foreign policy in keeping with its role of major global power. China since 1978 has achieved the fastest sustained increasing in living standards of any major country. From 1978 to 2020, the latter year being the latest for which internationally comparable World Bank data is available, China’s average annual increase in household consumption was 7.5% – for comparison in the same period the US’s annual average increase was 2.7%.

In his report delivered to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on October 16, Xi Jinping, in his capacity as General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, stressed that “the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation will be comprehensively promoted through Chinese-style modernization.” Xi’s statement was a particularly important element of his report to the 20th CPC National Congress because it decisively announced that this will be a central task of the Party as it moves forward. It not only set the tone for the 20th Party Congress, but will serve as the main driver of significant policy initiatives for the next five years and beyond.

In his report to the 20th Party Congress Xi Jinping dealt at length with this relation of the CPC and Marxism. “Our Party has, from an entirely new perspective, deepened its understanding of the laws that underlie governance by a communist party, the development of socialism, and the evolution of human society. It has achieved major theoretical innovations, which are encapsulated in the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era".

The whole government and party propaganda and public opinion machine achieved a momentum that is no different from how it was in [late supreme leader] Mao Zedong's time. Regional Chinese Communist Party (CCP) chiefs signed up to political mantras supporting Xi Jinping at the 20th party congress on Tuesday, discussing charter amendments that analysts said will likely bake in Xi's status as supreme leader of party and government.

Trusted Xi ally and current Guangdong provincial party chief Li Xi told a breakout meeting of Guangdong delegates to the 20th National Congress in Beijing that he fully supports Xi's status, encoded in the political buzzwords the "two establishes" and the "two safeguards," which refer to upholding CCP rule with Xi at the "core."

Shanghai party chief Li Qiang, Beijing CCP secretary Cai Qi, Chongqing party boss Chong Min'er and Tianjin party secretary Li Hongzhong all made similar statements of support to their regional delegates, state media reported on Tuesday.

Public statements of support for the "two establishes" and the "two safeguards" is now a key test for Xi allies within party ranks, analysts said. "Unpacked, the 'two establishes' is a claim to the legitimacy of Xi Jinping’s rule, and a challenge to any who might oppose him," the China Media Project (CMP) said in an analysis on Aug. 10, 2022. "As such, the phrase is an important part of the process of 'loyalty signaling,' or biaotai, the registering of support for the top leader."

Similarly, the "two safeguards" refer to safeguarding Xi's "core" status and the centralized authority of the CCP, it said in a Sept. 2 article titled "All Aboard the Adulation Express." CMP director David Bandurski wrote "Together, the 'two establishes' and the 'two safeguards' lay claim to the basic principles governing China today, centered on Xi himself — and they define the protection of these principles as the chief task of the country".