Xi asks CPC politburo to set aside personal gain, uphold unified leadership
Beijing, Dec 29 (EFE).- China’s president and leader of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Xi Jinping, asked top officials to care less about personal gains and uphold a “centralized, unified leadership,” state media reported Wednesday.
Xi was speaking before the Political Bureau of the CPC’s Central Committee, the party’s highest body, which met for two days in Beijing to study the history of the party and in which all “members spoke one by one, conducting criticism and self-criticism.”
In his speech, the president asked the members of the politburo to “have a great vision, care less about personal gains, take the lead in firming up ideals and convictions, and set an example for upholding the authority of the CPC Central Committee and its centralized, unified leadership,” Xinhua reported.
Xi, general secretary of the Central Committee, affirmed that “the more historical wisdom the party accumulates, the greater initiative it will take to master its own future,” said Xinhua.
“Over the past 100 years, the party has been committed to pursuing happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation, to seeking progress for humanity and the common good for the world,” Xinhua added, citing Xi.
The CPC, in command of China since 1949, this year commemorated the centenary of its founding and will hold the 20th Party Congress in 2022, in which it is assumed that the current ruler will continue in his already enormous power, which some are beginning to compare to Mao Zedong’s.
Xi also urged the leadership to make an effort to “educate party members, officials and the public, especially the young people, to enhance their historical confidence and strive forward with full confidence,” Xinhua said.
The meeting stressed strengthening the members’ “historical confidence, unity and their fighting spirit” and reviewed a report on how the mandate to improve the conduct of the Political Bureau was implemented this year.
The prosecution of corruption in official spheres has been a mainstay of Xi’s policies since he came to power in 2013. Since then, China has reportedly punished more than 1.5 million officials for receiving bribes, but some critics have pointed out that it could also be used to end the political careers of some of Xi’s rivals.
“The historic achievements and shifts in the cause of the party and the country were made possible fundamentally because General Secretary Xi Jinping, as the core of the CPC Central Committee and the whole party, has steered a steady course at the helm, and Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era has provided scientific guidance,” Xinhua said the meeting noted.
The title “helmsman” and references to steering the helm were frequently used to refer to Mao during his tenure, particularly from 1966, when the Cultural Revolution began.
The term fell into disuse especially during the terms of Jiang Zemin (1993-2003) and Hu Jintao (2003-2013), who promoted a more collective leadership style, but it has recovered during the Xi period. EFE
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