Li Qiang presided over the first executive meeting of the State Council during his tenure on the 14th. The previous executive meetings of the State Council of the Communist Party of China mainly focused on discussing and arranging specific tasks, but this meeting put political issues at the forefront. At the beginning of the conference briefing, it was emphasized that the new CCP government should follow the guidance of “Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era” and thoroughly study and understand Xi Jinping’s important speeches and the spirit of the National Two Sessions. , requiring “a profound understanding of the decisive significance of the ‘two establishments’, strengthening the ‘four consciousnesses’, strengthening the ‘four self-confidences’, and achieving the ‘two maintenances’.”
At the same time, the Standing Committee of the new National People’s Congress of the Communist Party of China and the Standing Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference also held their first Chairman’s Meeting and Standing Committee Meeting respectively. The newly appointed Chairman of the National People’s Congress Zhao Leji and Chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Wang Huning also emphasized political positions.
Zhao Leji asked the members of the Chairman’s Meeting of the National People’s Congress of the Communist Party of China to “insist on taking Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as the action guide for the work of the National People’s Congress”; Thoughts” and the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, learn Xi Jinping’s “important thoughts” on strengthening and improving the work of the CPPCC, strengthen the “four consciousnesses”, achieve “two safeguards”, and further improve political judgment, political comprehension, and political execution and always adhere to the correct political direction.
After Xi Jinping was re-elected as the third president at the Two Sessions of the Communist Party of China, the French media Les Echos published an article stating that Xi Jinping has concentrated more and greater power than any other Communist Party leader before him.
Professor Zhao Suisheng of the University of Denver pointed out that Xi Jinping “is now the most powerful leader in the history of the Chinese Communist Party since 1949. Institutionally speaking, his power is even greater than that of Mao Zedong.”
Mao Zedong did not hold the title of head of state for more than 10 years.
Zhao Suisheng also said: “He (Xi Jinping) has gradually changed the decision-making system within the power. We have changed from a model of collective consensus decision-making to a model of decision-making by Xi alone. people because of their loyalty to him personally and to his ideology, not because of their ability and merit to govern”.
The “New York Times” reported that facing China’s current severe economic situation, how to balance loyalty to Xi Jinping and revive the economy has become a difficult problem for Li Qiang.
According to the report, Li Qiang showed his loyalty to Xi Jinping by shifting from imposing limited restrictions to a “zero clearing” policy on Shanghai’s epidemic prevention. He was promoted to the position of prime minister. But it also shows him at the center of a tension between Mr. Xi’s emphasis on the Communist Party’s authoritarian control of society and the free-market and pro-business policies that underpin China’s rise.
What happens next for the world’s second-largest economy depends on how these tensions play out.