Thunderous applause greeted Chinese President Xi Jinping as he took the stage on Sunday at the start of a carefully choreographed Communist Party congress designed to confirm him as the country’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong.
Some 2,300 delegates gathered at Beijing’s imposing Great Hall of the People, decked out in the party’s signature red and gold, with banners bearing slogans celebrating the “great, glorious and correct Chinese Communist Party.”
Xi’s opening speech came after a minute’s silence for deceased party heroes, such as Mao and his successor Deng Xiaoping, and a performance of the national anthem by a military band.
Under a huge hammer-and-sickle emblem, he spoke for about an hour and a half, presenting his résumé of government work during his tenure and setting out his vision for his landmark third term.
Participants scribbled notes diligently, with occasional flashes of color from those in military garb or the traditional attire of one of China’s ethnic minorities punctuating a sea of ??monochromatic suits.
Some of the more unusual delegates included the first Chinese woman to spacewalk, astronaut Wang Yaping, and Olympic speed skater Wu Dajing, who wore his national tracksuit.
In accordance with strict health protocols, everyone present was masked except for the front row of high-ranking guests.
This included Xi’s predecessor, Hu Jintao, gray-haired and frail-looking, although Hu’s predecessor, Jiang Zemin, did not appear to be present.
Also in attendance was Zhang Gaoli, a former vice premier who was accused by tennis star Peng Shuai of “forcing” her to have sex, before retracting her allegations after disappearing from public view for three weeks.
– ‘He is the core’ –
The congress is a demonstration of party unity and strength, with carefully vetted delegates from every province in China.
It’s also a show of loyalty to Xi personally, as the 69-year-old is expected to secure a third term as Communist Party general secretary, overturning succession norms for leaders that have prevailed since the 1990s.
Guangxi delegate He Xiangyin told AFP she fully supports the move.
“As long as he (works) for people’s happiness and keeps improving our quality of life, we will all support him,” she said. “He is the core of what we do.”
Asked if there were fears that after Xi there would be no one capable of taking power, Jiangsu delegate Li Yinjiang was dismissive.
“Our party will certainly train someone properly for the role. Each generation passes the torch to the next,” he said.
During the speech, Xi’s mention of perceived accomplishments was greeted by thunderous applause ranging from fighting Covid-19 outbreaks to quelling Hong Kong unrest.
The longest and loudest applause came for his remarks on Taiwan, when he declared, “The reunification of the motherland must be achieved and will be achieved.”
Xi did not directly mention the northwestern region of Xinjiang, where Western countries have accused China of widespread human rights abuses against the country’s Muslim minorities, mainly Uyghurs.
“We in Xinjiang live such a happy life because our great party is leading us… As a Uyghur, I am very grateful to be able to live here in China,” Rehema Awuqi of the party’s Xinjiang delegation told AFP during the speech.
For the week leading up to the event, Beijing was decked out with banners, exhibitions and flower arrangements praising the party’s virtues and Xi’s political philosophy, and urging viewers to “joyfully welcome” the congress.
A heavy security presence was in place in the capital, with police standing guard at key intersections and increased numbers of personnel stationed on footbridges across the city.
The mostly closed conclave is taking place amid China’s strict zero-Covid policy, with journalists and other participants hiding in a virus-proof bubble with mandatory mask-wearing and daily PCR tests from Friday.
