China Caught In Xi Thought

His words have to be studied by everyone. And the leader's persona is being fused with the nation

- Vijay Gokhale

In 1989 Deng Xiaoping created a new political model to ensure that a power vacuum could never paralyse China again. The General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was made the ‘core’ (flag bearer) around whom the party rallied, but his status would be of first-among-equals so that one man might never dominate.

Deng’s successors, Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao, were faithful to his vision. Xi initially appeared to follow in their footsteps, but after securing the coveted title of ‘core’ in October 2016, he has unfurled his political agenda.

In his first term (2012-17) Xi bent the party and military to his will. In his second term (2017-22) he has tried to build a Mao-like aura. Ideology is used to gain gravitas. Xi got his party to enshrine ‘Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics in the New Era’ in the constitution as the supreme guiding principles of party and state, making him the only leader aside from Mao to do that when still in power. That marked the first of several new formulations identifying him as the party’s sole guardian, spokesman and purveyor of power.

Xi’s centrality in Chinese politics has been carefully established after 2018 through the idea of the ‘two safeguards’:

● To safeguard the core position of General Secretary Xi Jinping and nobody else

● And to maintain the authority and centralised, unified leadership of the Party Central Committee, and no other organisation This idea of Xi as the embodiment of party and state has been reinforced in November 2021 by the concept of the ‘two establishments’:

● Establish Xi as the core