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BEIJING (AP) — China’s national congress is wrapping up its annual session Monday with the usual show of near-unanimous support for plans designed to carry out ruling Communist Party leader Xi Jinping's vision for the nation. This year's weeklong event, replete with meetings carefully scripted to allow no surprises, has highlighted how China’s politics have become ever more calibrated to elevate Xi. A key item due to be put for a ritual vote on Monday are revisions of the “Organic Law of the State Council,” China's version of a cabinet, that direct it to follow Xi's vision. The Organic Law of the State Council is being revised for the first time since it was adopted in 1982. The revision calls for the State Council, above all, to “uphold the leadership of the Communist Party of China."

Persons: Xi, —, Li Qiang, ” Neil Thomas, ” Thomas, Wang Yi, Qin Gang, Mao Zedong, ” Organizations: BEIJING, —, Communist Party, State Council, Asia Society Policy Institute, Communist Party of China Locations: China, China's, U.S

☆ ‘Two sessions’: China’s key political gathering gets underway as leaders try to repair broken economic confidence
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Xi is under the spotlight as economic pain has sparked growing frustration within China. Xi has also overseen a political shakeup in his own ranks, further marring the start of the new term. Those challenges may not pose a threat to Xi, who is China’s most powerful and authoritative leader in decades. But the two sessions provide an important platform for China’s notoriously opaque government to broadcast its strategy for economic, social and foreign policies and announce key indicators including China’s economic growth target, its budget deficit limit and military spending for the coming year. Analysts widely expect Li to reveal a relatively ambitious growth target of “around 5%,” showing that policymakers are still focused on economic growth, even as challenges pile up.

Persons: —, Xi Jinping, Xi, ”, Chen Gang, Li Qiang, It’s, Xuezhi Guo, Guo, Wang Yi, Qin Gang, Li Shangfu, Li, Qin, Pedro Pardo, Neil Thomas, Premier Li, Asia Society’s Thomas, “ Organizations: Beijing CNN —, Communist, National University of Singapore’s East Asian Institute, Getty, of, National People’s, Guilford College, Observers, Washington, Asia Society, Center for Locations: China, Beijing, Chongqing, AFP, Taiwan, China's, Henan, Center for China, Asia

☆ Major companies in China are setting up their own volunteer armies
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Hong Kong CNN —Chinese companies are doing something rarely seen since the 1970s: setting up their own volunteer armies. According to China’s Military Service Law, male militia members should be 18 to 35 years old. It was latest in a slew of militias established by major Chinese companies in the past year. After 1949, when the party took control of mainland China, the units were eventually embedded into governments, schools and companies. This can, in the long run, save the PLA resources by delegating some duties to militia forces to care for,” Heath said.

Persons: Xi, ”, Neil Thomas, Nuo Nuo, Huang Zhiqiang, Qilai Shen, Liu Jie, Mao Zedong, Mao, Timothy Heath, homebuyers, Heath, ” Heath, Willy Lam, Sam Yeh, ” Lam, China’s Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, CNN, People’s Armed Forces Departments, America’s National Guard, Communist, Asia Society, Center for, Communist Party, China Labour Bulletin, Foxconn, Yili, Armed Forces Department, China’s Military Service Law, People’s Liberation Army, PLA, government’s Communist Party, Inner Mongolia Autonomous, Bloomberg, Getty, Shanghai Municipal Investment Group, Construction Investment, Development, Defense Ministry, People’s Armed Police, Armed, Rand Corporation, Jamestown Foundation, Party, Taiwan Locations: China, Hong Kong, Center for China, Beijing, Zhengzhou, Henan, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, Yili, Shanghai, Mengniu, Nantong city, Jiangsu, Huizhou city, Guangdong, Wuhan, Hubei province, People’s Republic, United States, Taiwan, Fangchenggang City, Guangxi, ”, PLA, Taiwan's, AFP

The individuals' accounts varied but were consistent in describing heightened scrutiny of overseas travel even after China reopened borders in January. Reuters is reporting these measures and the scope of some post-COVID travel curbs for the first time. NEW LIMITSRestrictions on personal foreign travel have long applied to senior government officials and state executives with access to confidential information. MAPPING CONNECTIONSChinese authorities are also scrutinising personal foreign ties, according to a document seen by Reuters, one of the 10 people who discussed travel curbs and three other state-enterprise workers with knowledge of the matter. Thomas said the travel curbs in particular would have implications for China's interactions with the world.

Persons: Carlos Garcia Rawlins, Xi, Neil Thomas, Thomas, Wang Zhi'an, Engen Tham, Julie Zhu, Kane Wu, Xie Yu, Martin Quin Pollard, David Crawshaw, Vidya Ranganathan Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Asia Society, Center for, State, Information Office, Communist Party, China Construction Bank, China Development Bank, National Council for Social Security Fund, Municipal Eco, Communist, Communist Youth League, Ministry of State Security, U.S . Central Intelligence Agency, CIA, Beijing, Thomson Locations: China, Beijing, Rights SHANGHAI, HONG KONG, Center for China, Washington, Shanghai, Zhejiang, Hong Kong, Singapore, Ningbo, Wenzhou, Japan, Italy

☆ China’s Economic Pain Is a Test of Xi’s Fixation With Control
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Chris Buckley | More About Chris Buckley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

But he may have to relinquish some of that control, as that strategy comes under pressure. The economic setbacks are eroding Mr. Xi’s image of imperious command, and emerging as perhaps the most sustained and thorny challenge to his agenda in over a decade in power. “The worse things get for China’s economy, the more likely it is that Xi Jinping has to make some course correction.”Earlier this year, Mr. Xi started his third term as China’s president, appearing indomitable. He was committed to taming the debt-laden real estate sector even as home sales fell. And he had a new Communist Party leadership team of loyalists poised to push through his growth plans.

Persons: ” Neil Thomas, Xi Jinping, Xi Organizations: Communist Party, Asia Society’s Center for Locations: Asia Society’s Center for China

Analysts see this as an emerging new trend of trade regionalisation in the eastern and western hemispheres - each dominated by one of the superpower - that could pose risks to global growth. This "will likely contribute to increased regionalisation of international trade, which would raise inflation and hamper growth for other countries caught in the crossfire." China has also applied to join the Comprehensive Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership, one of the world's largest free trade agreements. To join this Pacific trade axis, though, China needs the approval from all member countries, including U.S. allies. "And both of those countries value trade with the U.S. under their North American framework more than they value trade with China."

Persons: Gina Raimondo, Elizabeth Frantz, Neil Thomas, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Raimondo, Trump, William Hurst, Joe Cash, Kripa Jayaram, Marius Zaharia, William Mallard Organizations: . Commerce, Capitol, REUTERS, Southeast Asia, Analysts, Asia Society Policy Institute, Higher, Census, Reuters, Canada Agreement, Comprehensive, Pacific, U.S, University of Cambridge, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, China, Washington, Canada, Mexico, Beijing, Southeast, decouple, U.S, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Pacific

The announcement was the first time either of the two – who had both been in military positions outside the Rocket Force – were named as the force’s leadership. Beijing gave no reason for the change, making the case yet another example of the lack of transparency in China’s political system. The newly appointed Rocket Force leadership both previously held deputy positions in other parts of the military. New missile silosThe leadership change comes as evidence points to an expanding Chinese nuclear force – creating an even more important role for the Rocket Force, which until 2016 was known as the PLA Second Artillery Force. They are responsible for handling and delivering China’s nuclear weapons,” said Drew Thompson, a senior research fellow at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Wang Houbin, Xu Xisheng, Li Yuchao, Qin Gang, Li, Xu Zhongbo, Xu, China’s, ”, Yun Sun, Li Gang, Xi, “, Qin, Wang Yi, Carl Schuster, “ Xi, ” Schuster, Wang, Neil Thomas, Roderick Lee, Drew Thompson, Lee, ” Thompson Organizations: CNN, Liberation Army Rocket Force, Rocket Force, Xinhua, Communist Party, Stimson, Communist Party’s, Military Commission, People’s Liberation Army, PLA, Pacific Command’s Joint Intelligence Center, PLA Navy, Southern Theater Command, Asia Society, Center for, USAF Air University China Aerospace Studies, ” CNN, China’s Ministry of Defense, PLA Second Artillery Force, US Defense Department, Lee Kuan Yew, of Public, National University of Singapore, “ Locations: China, Suzhou, Taiwan, Washington, Beijing, Xinhua, Hawaii, Center for China, United States

☆ China is erasing mention of Qin Gang's time as foreign minister, but it still hasn't said why
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Hong Kong CNN —Five weeks ago, the world watched as China’s Foreign Minister Qin Gang met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Beijing for high stakes talks between the two powers. Qin’s whereabouts, the reason for his removal, and his ultimate fate as a member of China’s Communist Party all remain unknown. Unanswered questions about official decision-making are standard in China, where the political system is notoriously opaque and has only become more so under Chinese leader Xi Jinping. But it also suggests that the cause must be grave for (Qin) to be removed,” she added. ‘Safe hands’The Foreign Ministry shake-up comes at a particularly sensitive time in China’s international relations.

Persons: Qin Gang, Antony Blinken, –, Qin, Wang Yi, Wang, Xi Jinping ., they’ve, Xi, ”, Yun Sun, …, Neil Thomas, Bonnie Glaser, Marshall Fund’s, hashtags, Li Mingjiang, Blinken, “ I’ve, I’ve, ” Blinken, “, ” Wang, China’s, Vladimir Putin, Asia Society’s Thomas, Victor Shih Organizations: Hong Kong CNN —, China’s Foreign Ministry, China’s Communist Party, Xi Jinping . Senior, China Program, Communist Party, Politics, Asia Society, Center for, Foreign, Weibo, Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, University of California San, Century China Center Locations: Hong Kong, Beijing, China, Washington, Center for China, United States, Europe, Russia, Ukraine, Jakarta, Moscow, Asia, University of California San Diego’s

Pan Gongsheng was appointed Saturday as the new Communist Party chief at the People’s Bank of China (PBOC), in a surprise move as Beijing bolsters its drive to arrest the country’s economic slowdown and stem a slide in its currency. Pan currently serves as the deputy governor of the PBOC. “My initial reaction is this suggests Xi [Jinping] is more concerned about China’s economy than before the 20th Party Congress,” Thomas said. Since then, he has spent nearly two decades working at large state-owned banks, including the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) and the Agricultural Bank of China (ABC). After returning to China, he was promoted to deputy governor at the PBOC in 2012.

Persons: Yi Gang, Pan Gongsheng, Janet Yellen, Pan, Yi, didn’t, Guo Shuqing, Neil Thomas, wasn’t, ” Thomas, Xi, Mao, Thomas, China’s, Biden, ” Organizations: Beijing CNN, Cambridge University, Harvard University, Communist Party, People’s Bank of China, Securities Times, CNN, Ant, Asia Society, Center for, Communist Party’s, Committee, 20th Party Congress, Wall Street Journal, Treasury Department, Renmin University of China, Industrial, Commercial Bank of China, Agricultural Bank of China, ABC, Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, State Administration of Foreign Exchange, Beijing, P Global, PMI Locations: Hong Kong, Beijing, China, Shanghai, Center for China, United States, West

☆ Germany's approach to China is 'a marked contrast' to the U.S. one, analyst says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailGermany's approach to China is 'a marked contrast' to the U.S. one, analyst saysNeil Thomas, a fellow in Chinese politics at the Asia Society Policy Institute, discusses German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, noting the differences in language that Scholz and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken have used with China.

Persons: Neil Thomas, Olaf Scholz's, Premier Li Qiang, Scholz, Antony Blinken Organizations: Asia Society Policy Institute, Premier Locations: China

☆ China's economy is growing again. So why are investors dumping stocks?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Investors trimmed their exposure to China amid economic uncertainty in the country, rising geopolitical tensions and Beijing’s crackdown on international consulting firms. The Nasdaq Golden Dragon China Index has lost more than 5% since April 18. Another concern for global investors is the country’s “fundamental investability,” he said, referring to geopolitical and Chinese policy risks. Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, one of the world’s largest pension funds, has closed its Hong Kong-based China equity investment team. “The more cracks appear in Western economies,” the more global investors will need to put money into Chinese assets, he added.

☆ China is waging a war on its financial industry. Some high-profile bankers are ensnared
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Last Friday, authorities opened a similar probe into Liu Liange, former chairman of state-owned Bank of China, the country’s fourth largest lender. And in January, Wang Bin, who headed state-owned China Life Insurance from 2018 to early 2022, was charged by national prosecutors with taking bribes and hiding overseas savings. They include financial giants such as China Investment Corp, the nation’s sovereign wealth fund, China Development Bank, which provides financing for key government projects, and Agricultural Bank of China, another large state-controlled lender. “The current financial crackdown is a new wave of Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign against the financial sector for consolidation of his power,” said Chongyi Feng, an associate professor in China Studies at the University of Technology Sydney. But the deepening crackdown on the vast financial sector could rattle investors.

[1/4] China's newly-elected Premier Li Qiang takes an oath after being elected during the fourth plenary session of the National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China on March 11, 2023. Previously the Communist Party chief in Shanghai, Li was confirmed as premier during the National People's Congress, charged with managing the world's second largest economy. "Officials know that Li Qiang is Xi Jinping's guy," he said. "He clearly thinks that Li Qiang is a very competent person and he has put him in this position because he trusts him and he expects a lot of him." American author Robert Lawrence Kuhn, who met Li and Xi together in 2005 and 2006, said the two shared an easy rapport.

Previously the Communist Party chief in Shanghai, Li is poised to be confirmed as premier on Saturday during the ongoing National People's Congress, charged with managing the world's second largest economy. Trey McArver, co-founder of consultancy Trivium China, said Li is likely to be much more powerful than his predecessor. "Officials know that Li Qiang is Xi Jinping's guy," he said. "He clearly thinks that Li Qiang is a very competent person and he has put him in this position because he trusts him and he expects a lot of him." American author Robert Lawrence Kuhn, who met Li and Xi together in 2005 and 2006, said the two shared an easy rapport.

☆ How China is helping to prop up the Russian economy through the war in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

China has been buying more energy from Russia since the Ukraine war started. Total trade between China and Russia hit a new record high in 2022, up 30% to $190 billion, according to Chinese customs figures. In particular, the energy trade has risen markedly since the onset of the war. Russian companies have been using more yuan to facilitate the increased trade with China. UnionPay, the Chinese payments system, has reportedly stopped accepting cards issued by Russian banks over fears of international sanctions, according to Russian paper Kommersant.

☆ US-China meeting in Bali lays groundwork for stronger economic ties
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

That helps explain why expectations for Monday’s meeting between President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 summit were set so low. But to the surprise of many, the meeting featured televised images of smiling officials, handshakes, and a commitment to reopening lines of communication on urgent global issues. Analysts said the meeting could lay the groundwork for stronger ties between the world’s top economic powerhouses. Speaking after the three-hour meeting, Biden described it as an “open and candid” discussion, saying he planned to manage the China relationship “responsibly.”“We’re going to compete vigorously, but I’m not looking for conflict,” Biden told reporters. “The meeting met or exceeded the low expectations set by the Biden administration and was a mild positive for global stability,” he said.

Xi Jinping consolidated his power in China with a reshuffle of the politburo standing committee. He also used the event to unveil the new members of the politburo standing committee. He is a new entry to the standing committee, and at 60, is its youngest member. He is another new member of the politburo standing committee and will help lead the central commission for discipline inspection. He previously worked as the party leader in Yan'an, which once served as the headquarters of the party before it took control of the whole country.

☆ Ding Xuexiang: from Xi staff chief to ruling elite
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-23 | by ( Brenda Goh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SHANGHAI, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday made his chief of staff, Ding Xuexiang, one of the most powerful men in China, in a move party watchers say underscores the importance Xi puts on trust and loyalty. "Ding is effectively Xi's chief-of-staff and is almost always by his side. It is clear that Xi has trusted Ding's loyalty and ability," he said. It is possible that Ding has influenced Xi to promote more technocrats to leadership positions at the ministerial and vice-ministerial level," Thomas said. In speeches this year Ding repeatedly urged party cadres to demonstrate loyalty and unity as well as rectify problems to ensure the smooth execution of the Party Congress.

Promoted despite facing difficulties in leading China's capital, Cai is much like another Xi ally elevated to the Standing Committee, Shanghai Party Secretary Li Qiang. Cai and Li on Sunday joined a long list of Shanghai and Beijing Party bosses that have been promoted to the Standing Committee. Cai was promoted in 2014 to general office deputy director at the Beijing-based National Security Commission, a body founded and chaired by Xi. In 2017, just weeks after the 19th Party Congress, Cai faced loud public criticism over the forced eviction of migrant workers on Beijing's outskirts. A decade later, during a Beijing Party committee meeting on cyberspace and ideology hosted by Cai, no mention was made of citizens using social media to hold officials accountable.

BEIJING, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Li Qiang, who oversaw Shanghai's grinding two-month COVID-19 lockdown this year as party boss of China's commercial hub, is on track to become China's next premier after President Xi Jinping unveiled a new governing body packed with loyalists. Current Premier Li Keqiang, a more reform-minded voice, will step down in March after the maximum two terms. "We have not seen Li Qiang introduce any market-oriented reforms," said Lam. In 2015, Li accompanied Xi on a visit to the United States to meet then-President Barack Obama. In Seattle with Xi, Li gave a speech calling for more cooperation between Zhejiang and U.S. firms.

☆ China's economy is 'in deep trouble' as Xi heads to Communist Party congress
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

“Xi’s leadership is not causal for China’s economic rise,” said Sonja Opper, a professor at Bocconi University in Italy who studies China’s economy. Bloomberg/Getty ImagesThe International Monetary Fund recently cut its forecast for China’s growth to 3.2% this year, representing a sharp slowdown from 8.1% in 2021. Under Xi, China has not only become more insular, but has also seen the fraying of US-China relations. He is expected to secure an unprecedented third term in power at the Communist Party Congress that begins on Sunday. “Moreover, growth is not the only source of legitimacy and support for the Communist Party, and Xi has increasingly burnished the Communist Party’s nationalist credentials to appeal to patriotism as well as pocketbooks,” he added.

☆ Ding Xuexiang: from Shanghai party cadre to Xi gatekeeper
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Brenda Goh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Alongside China's top diplomats was Ding Xuexiang, who has risen from Communist Party cadre in Shanghai to become Xi's private secretary and gatekeeper. Ding, 60, is considered a leading candidate for promotion this month to the Politburo Standing Committee, the party's seven-member ruling echelon, despite lacking experience as a provincial-level party secretary or governor. He eventually succeeded the General Office's then-head, Li Zhanshu, who is currently China's top legislator and at 72 is expected to retire from the Standing Committee. Given the opacity of Chinese politics and Ding's roll as a background player, there is even less known about him than other leading Standing Committee prospects. In speeches this year Ding repeatedly urged party cadres to demonstrate loyalty and unity as well as rectify problems to ensure the smooth execution of the Party Congress.

☆ China's top leaders are set for a reshuffle. Here are the names to watch
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

China's top leadership team around President Xi Jinping is set to change this month at a twice-a-decade congress. One of the most closely watched changes in the political reshuffle is the future of Premier Li Keqiang, who turned 67 this year. However, he could remain a standing committee member, JPMorgan analysts said, pointing to a precedent at the 15th party congress. Huang Kunming — Politburo member and head of China's propaganda department, who worked closely with Xi in the provinces of Fujian and Zhejiang, the report said. Yang Jiechi, a 72-year-old Politburo member and director of the party's central committee foreign affairs office, is widely expected to retire.

☆ 3 ways China and Russia are forging much closer economic ties
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-15 | by ( Laura He | Cnn Business | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Beijing has carefully avoided violating Western sanctions or providing direct military support to Moscow. For the first eight months of this year, total goods trade between China and Russia surged 31% to $117.2 billion. "Russia needs China more than China needs Russia," said Keith Krach, former Under Secretary of State for Economic growth, Energy and the Environment in the United States. For China, Russia now accounts for 2.8% of its total trade volume, slightly higher than the 2.5% share at the end of last year. "Russia's war in Ukraine is not in China's interest, but given Western hostility, China will not oppose Russia," she added.

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