Xi Jinping Works to Stifle Dissent Amid Concerns About China’s Economy

President Xi Jinping, battling a persistent downturn in China’s economy, is trying to gird his rule by demanding absolute loyalty from the Communist Party in an effort to stifle simmering dissent. WSJ

'While Mr. Xi remains undisputedly in charge, party watchers say his maneuvers point to disquiet within the government and political elite' says the WSJ.

• 'Critics say the president’s policies have failed to shore up the slowing economy, unnecessarily aggravated tensions with the U.S. and alienated many other foreign governments.
• 'Meanwhile, they say, his insistence on control and threats to punish wayward officials are creating a policy muddle on the economy and sowing confusion in the bureaucracy.'

'“Xi does feel a sense of crisis” as he grapples with China’s economic woes and bureaucratic resistance within the party, says Deng Yuwen, a former deputy editor of the Study Times, a newspaper published by Beijing’s elite Central Party School. “From Xi’s perspective, he believes his policies are correct but the problem is they aren’t being implemented properly.”'

• 'A test of Mr. Xi’s authority will unfold over the next two weeks, when roughly 3,000 lawmakers gather in Beijing to review the government’s economic blueprint for a year full of politically challenging anniversaries.'
• 'The atmosphere is a measure of how Mr. Xi’s aura of dominance, if not his power, has receded over the past year.
• 'Last spring, he appeared unassailable as China’s leader, having emerged from a party conclave with unrivaled authority and cleared a path toward lifetime rule by scrapping term limits on his presidency.
• 'Concerns that he had concentrated too much power, fueled by fulsome state-media praise for his leadership, soon stirred criticism, exacerbated by slowing growth and trade tensions with the U.S.'

'Who are Xi Jinping’s Enemies?'. Willy Wo-Lap Lam goes into more detail in the Jamestown Foundation's China Brief:

'While Xi’s status as “core of the party,” the highest commander, and “pathfinder for the people” does not seem to have been seriously challenged by the multi-pronged attacks launched by US President Donald Trump, there is little doubt that his enemies in the party and government have multiplied.

'So who are Xi’s political foes?'

• 'Foremost among them are cadres and even ordinary folks who are the beneficiaries of Deng’s visionary policy, represented by Xi’s fellow princelings who are the offspring of party elders closely tied to Deng Xiaoping’s reforms.
• 'Xi is also facing opposition from regional administrators who fear the trade war’s potential to exacerbate unemployment.
• 'Serious employment problems could translate into street protests, which would adversely affect local-level cadres’ chances for promotion.
• 'Some analysts believe that Xi’s unpopularity among regional officials could be one reason why he has decided not to convene the Fourth Plenum of the Central Committee this year.
• 'Some the nation’s most prominent intellectuals are also chafing under Xi’s ironclad control over their freedom of expression.
• 'Xi’s popularity among China’s burgeoning middle class—estimated to be around 400 million people—could also be put at risk by a rising tide of economic warning signs, including declining government investment, feeble consumer spending, and mounting debt among local governments.'

If Willy is right, then Xi needs more than a show of strength at the NPC.

'Two Sessions' I

More articles from this issue

1. Facing slowing economic growth, China’s premier promises relief for business

2. Six key takeaways from China's annual policy blueprint

3. China’s Stimulus Muddle Deepens

4. China’s ‘two sessions’: an economic watershed or more of the same?

5. Xi Jinping Works to Stifle Dissent Amid Concerns About China’s Economy

6. FINTECH: Two Sessions Sends Strong Signals on Support for Chinese Fintech Development

7. How tea is served in the Great Hall of the People in China

8. 'Two Sessions': A rap song extolling China's annual political meeting

March 9, 2019