Home Tags Posts tagged with "Communist Party of China"

Communist Party of China

China has unveiled a series of reforms aimed at overhauling its economy over the next decade.

In a statement issued after a closed-door summit, the Chinese leaders promised the free market would play a bigger role.

A new committee will oversee internal security to guard against social unrest, and farmers will be given more property rights over their land.

The leaders will now have to persuade officials below them to implement the reforms.

The so-called Third Plenum talks began in Beijing last week, and ended with a brief communique outlining areas that had been agreed on.

Details of what was agreed are still emerging.

The Communist Party leaders said markets would be allowed to play a leading role. State ownership would remain a pillar of the economy.

“The core issue is to straighten out the relationship between government and the market, allowing the market to play a decisive role in allocating resources and improving the government’s role,” the statement said, Reuters news agency reports.

The Communist Party is vowing to carry out deep reforms across the economy and the government to reach a “new stage of development”.

A lengthy television story heading China’s flagship state newscast showed rows of Communist Party officials, including Chairman Xi Jinping, sitting at long tables studying paper documents in front of them.

The report contained a long list of vague party pledges – from a plan to create a modern military to one that encourages foreign investment in China’s coastal cities. Other changes include promises to institute stronger systems to check corruption.

China has unveiled a series of reforms aimed at overhauling its economy over the next decade

China has unveiled a series of reforms aimed at overhauling its economy over the next decade

Ahead of the meeting another area expected to be discussed was China’s household registration system.

The meeting was being closely watched after senior Communist Party official Yu Zhengsheng said last month that “unprecedented” economic and social reforms would be discussed at the meeting.

Analysts did not expect any political reforms to be on the agenda.

How successful the reforms turn out to be remains to be seen.

It will take time to assess their impact.

And where economic or social reforms are agreed, local officials and groups with vested interests may be reluctant to implement them, correspondents say.

Third Plenums refer to the third time new leaders of China lead a plenary session of the Central Committee. They generally take place a year after new leaders take office, after they have established their power base.

Previous Third Plenums have had a major impact on China’s development.

At the Third Plenum in 1978, former leader Deng Xiaoping announced the opening-up of China’s economy, spearheading major market-oriented reforms.

In 1993’s Third Plenum, former leader Zhu Rongji announced the “socialist market economy” and dismantled a large part of China’s state-owned sector.

Security was tight in Beijing for the meeting, with tensions higher than usual in the wake of an incident on 28 October in Tiananmen Square and bomb blasts in the north of the country days after.

Five people were killed in what Chinese officials called a “terrorist attack” incited by extremists from the western region of Xinjiang when a car drove through crowds and burst into flames near an entrance to the Forbidden City.

Less than a week later, a series of small blasts killed at least one person outside a provincial office of the ruling Communist Party in Shanxi province.

China’s Third Plenum:

  • The Third Plenum was the third meeting of the Xi Jinping-led 18th Central Committee
  • Traditionally reforms are expected at the Third Plenum, because new leaders are seen as having had time to consolidate power
  • The tradition was begun by Deng Xiaoping in 1978 when he opened China’s doors to the world
  • The meeting took place behind closed doors and ran from November 9 to 12 [youtube 78PJ4POCmgE 650]

Supporters of Chinese politician Bo Xilai have set up a political party, and made Bo the party chairman.

Wang Zheng said she was inspired to set up the Zhi Xian Party after following Bo Xilai’s trial.

It is a highly unusual move in China, where the ruling Communist Party retains a monopoly on power.

Bo Xilai, the former Chongqing Party chief, was given a life sentence in September for corruption and abuse of power.

Wang Zheng, a university professor, said her party would act in a similar manner to a special interest group, calling for the Chinese constitution to be upheld and for income inequality to be tackled.

“The goal of the party is to guard the constitution,” Wang Zheng said.

“In the past, for so many years, the ruling party has often done things that are against the constitution.”

Wang Zheng said the party was inspired by Bo Xilai’s work to help the poor as Chongqing party chief.

Bo Xilai, the former Chongqing Party chief, was given a life sentence in September for corruption and abuse of power

Bo Xilai, the former Chongqing Party chief, was given a life sentence in September for corruption and abuse of power

“In recent decades, China’s reform methods were against the constitution” as the political system had allowed the gap between the rich and the poor to increase, she said.

She added that what she was doing was consistent with Chinese law.

“The Communist Party is the ruling party. According to the constitution, the nation is led by the Communist Party that co-operates with the other parties, and we are one of the participating parties.”

Wang Zheng said there had been an overwhelmingly positive response to her party, but did not reveal the size of her party’s membership.

The party has named Bo Xilai its honorary chairman, although it is unclear whether Bo has agreed to any association with the group.

The Zhi Xian Party translates into “The Supremacy of the Constitution” Party in Chinese.

Wang Zheng is already facing a backlash by the government for her actions, and her home is under police surveillance.

However, Wang Zheng said she was “not scared”.

“I have the confidence that what I am doing is not illegal and most of the people I am in touch with, including the security police, they are actually nice people,” she said.

China has jailed activists in the past for setting up political parties. Activist Qin Yongmin was jailed for 12 years in 1998 after trying to register the China Democracy Party.

Bo Xilai was removed from office in 2012 amid a scandal which saw his wife Gu Kailai convicted of British businessman Neil Heywood’s murder.

During his time in Chongqing, Bo Xilai was popular with the city’s poor and rural citizens for running a high-profile crackdown on crime and promoting China’s communist past, including the public singing of “red songs”.

In September Bo Xilai’s was found guilty of taking bribes amounting to 20 million yuan ($3.3 million) either personally or through his family. He was also accused of abusing his office by using his position to cover up for his wife’s crime.

Bo Xilai’s supporters, however, believe he is the victim of a political purge.

[youtube 5Q04T7uGE6k 650]