Xi Jinping Stresses Political Security at 20th National Congress, Mentioning "Safety" 89 Times #ccp

On the opening day of the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, or CCP, Xi Jinping mentioned security nearly 90 times in his work report, indicating that security has become Xi's main concern. According to external analysis, the 20th National Congress was held in the midst of many crises, and protecting the party is still the core task and goal of the CCP. Xi Jinping's Greatest Concern The 20th National Congress of the CCP was held in Beijing. 2,340 delegates and special guests attended the Congress, and all the members of the standing committee of the last Politburo were present. In his report, Xi Jinping summed up the so-called achievements of his tenure over the past decade and proposed tasks and goals for the future. When presenting the work report on Sunday, October 16th, Xi Jinping emphasized national security, making the issue his main concern. According to Reuters, safeguarding security, or safety, appeared 89 times in Xi's speech. The term was mentioned 55 times at the 19th National Congress in 2017. In comparison, the frequency of references to national security has become much higher. Joseph Toregian, an assistant professor at American University who specializes in the elite of the CCP, tweeted that Xi referred to grave intricate international developments and a series of immense risks and challenges faced by the CCP over the past five years. That seems more pessimistic than 2017. In 2017, he said, China is still an important strategic opportunity for development. The prospects are bright, but the challenges are severe. According to an associate professor of political science at the National University of Singapore, the increased length on security issues in Xi's speech wasn't surprising, as China has more to worry about today than it did five years ago. For example, competition with the US has become more intense, uncertainty surrounding the war in Ukraine, and the new coronavirus outbreak. China is currently facing a number of crises, including an aging population, a declining economy, sluggish real estate, a weak financial system, and the spread of secondary disasters due to extreme epidemic prevention measures. A few days ago, a protest took place on the Sotong Bridge in Beijing, where people protested against nucleic acid testing and demanded human rights. Xi Jinping warns Taiwan On the first day of the 20th Party Congress, Xi Jinping, the party's general secretary, gave a speech. With regard to Taiwan, he said, In the face of the secessionist activities of the Taiwan independence forces and the serious provocations of external forces interfering in Taiwan's affairs, we have resolutely launched a major struggle against secession and interference, demonstrating our strong determination and ability to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity and oppose Taiwan independence. The resolution of the Taiwan issue is a matter for the Chinese ourselves to decide. We insist on striving for the prospect of peaceful reunification with the greatest sincerity and with the greatest effort. Taiwan has responded strongly to this. A spokesman for the presidential office of the Republic of China responded that President Tsai Ing-wen has clearly stated Taiwan's position in her speech on the Double Ten or National Day celebration this year. Taiwan will continue to stand firm on the four insistences, namely to uphold a free and democratic constitutional system, insist that the Republic of China and the People's Republic of China are not subordinate to each other, insist that sovereignty cannot be violated and swallowed, and uphold the future of the Republic of China, Taiwan. We must follow the will of the Taiwanese people. Taiwan will strengthen the four resiliences, that is, to build a more refined economic industry, social safety net, democratic and free system, and national defense capabilities, and more importantly, to make Taiwan the world's Taiwan and give the world a better Taiwan, an island of resilience, a resilient country. Sung Win Tee, a political scientist at the National University of Australia's Taiwan Studies program, told The Guardian, Xi's report puts a lot of emphasis on oughts and musts but is quite ambiguous on hows. The fact that Xi didn't mention how is a sign that he wants to retain policy flexibility and that he doesn't want to commit to an irreversible line of confrontation now. He went on to say that the lack of details in Xi's report shows that despite the escalation of the situation in the Taiwan Strait over the past few months, Xi doesn't intend to let his Taiwan schedule be affected by the internationalization of the Taiwan issue, which I is a good sign for Taiwan, he said.