China's 20th Communist Party Congress and Xi Jinping: All you need to know

20th Congress is of particular significance as Xi Jinping is expected to go for an unprecedented third term as CCP's head, making him the most powerful leader in the country since Mao Zedong

Around 2,300 delegates from across China gathered at the Great Hall of the People on Sunday to commence the weeklong 20th Communist Party Congress. The twice-a-decade event is held to appoint the Communist Party of China's (CCP) top leadership, approve its policy direction and amend the constitution.

This Congress is of particular significance as President Xi Jinping is expected to go for an unprecedented third term as the party's head, making him the most powerful leader in the country since Mao Zedong.

Xi is also expected to announce the appointments to the Politburo and the Politburo Standing Committee (PSC). These are the top-most decision-making bodies in the country.

Why is the 20th Congress important?

Xi Jinping currently holds the three most important titles in the Chinese system. He is the president of the People's Republic of China. He is also the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, which makes him the party boss, a position he took over in 2012. In addition, he is the chairman of the Chinese Military Commission (CMC), a position he took over in 2013. The CMC is the defence arm of the CCP. In the Chinese system, the army (People's Liberation Army) serves the party, not the state. Holding these positions together makes him the paramount leader of the CCP.

His predecessors, Hu Jintao and Jiang Zemin, served for two five-year terms, respectively.

The current CPC is expected to cement Xi's control over the Chinese economy, military, and internal and foreign affairs.

India, the US, and other countries are closely watching the developments.

How does China choose the delegates?

The delegates are chosen from 34 provinces and regions in China. However, there are not necessarily any "fair" elections for the same.

These 2,300 delegates choose a 400-member Central Committee. Out of these, 200 members will choose the 25-member politburo.

The politburo will then select a seven-member Politburo Standing Committee (PSC). Observers across the globe closely watch each appointment to this committee. It helps them understand future succession plans as well.

There is only one woman, 72-year-old Sun Chunlan, in the politburo, but none in the PSC. According to Al Jazeera, Sun Chunlan is expected to retire after the Congress.

There are no eligibility criteria for election to the central committee. Recently, Xinhua news agency released a document stating 15-point criteria to focus on "loyalty" to the CCP's leadership.

Also, according to Al Jazeera, no official above 68 is generally appointed to the top leadership.

Xi Jinping and his address at 20th CPC

On Sunday, Xi delivered his speech at the CPC, laying out his broad vision for the next five years.

Here are the key takeaways from the speech:

Internal affairs

"We will steadfastly push for common prosperity. We will improve the system of income distribution. We will ensure more pay for more work and encourage people to achieve prosperity through hard work. We will promote equality of opportunity, increase the income of low-income earners and expand the size of the middle-income group. We will keep income distribution and the means of accumulating wealth well regulated," Xi said.

Zero Covid policy

"We have protected the people's health and safety to the greatest extent possible and made tremendously encouraging achievements in both epidemic response and economic and social development".

Economy

"High-quality development is the top priority of building a socialist modern country in all aspects. Development is the party's top priority in governing. It's impossible to build a socialist modern strong country in all aspects without a solid material and technology foundation," Xi added.

"We will keep income distribution and the means of accumulating wealth well regulated," he said. Several reports have emerged from China showing a crackdown on the super-rich in the country.

Alibaba's Jack Ma became a subject of this "crackdown" in 2020. In a speech at a public event, Ma criticised the country's financial industry. Days later, the initial public offer (IPO) of Ma's Ant Group was banned. It was supposed to be the biggest IPO in the country's history. He was also summoned for "regulatory interviews". Ma has not been seen much in public since then.

Taiwan

Xi said that China would continue to strive for a "peaceful reunification" with Taiwan. He reinstated that a "complete reunification" would be done. This is a tougher stance compared to Hong Kong, where considerable governance autonomy has been granted.

On the military, Xi emphasised more intense military training. He said China "will innovate new military strategic guidance and develop strategies and tactics for people's war".

Xi mentioned security aspects 73 times during his speech, according to a report by the Economic Times (ET). There was a separate section for "internal security". According to experts, this indicates more thrust on security in the country.