China’s Closed-Door Party Meeting Has Impact on US, Experts Say

Chinese leader Xi Jinping sings the national anthem during a reception at the Great Hall of the People on the eve of China's National Day in Beijing on Sept. 30, 2021. (Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images)

communist regime in China kicked off a major party meeting on Nov. 8, a political event that China experts said has implications for the Sino–U.S. relationship.

four-day meeting, attended by Party officials making up the regime’s powerful Central Committee, is being held at China’s capital Beijing behind closed doors. It is a pivotal plenary political gathering ahead of the 20th National Party Congress in autumn next year, when the regime will usher in a new group of top leaders.

Currently, Chinese leader Xi Jinping is eyeing an unprecedented third five-year term in office after becoming paramount leader in 2012. As a result, the plenary meeting, officially known as the Sixth Plenum, will set the tone for his moves to retain command of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Chinese military next year.

Two China experts, in separate interviews with Pezou on Monday, explained why the Party meeting is important to the United States.

U.S.-based Chinese democracy activist and scholar Wang Juntao said the meeting is an opportunity for President Joe Biden to learn about the direction the communist regime is headed, as he continues to engage with Xi while seeing China as a competitor to the United States.

Biden has spoken to Xi in two separate phone calls since taking office in January. two leaders are scheduled to speak again before the end of this year.

More importantly, Wang said the meeting will provide some indication of whether CCP officials opposing Xi have a shot at stopping Xi’s bid for a third term in power. chance would be low if Xi could promote his allies in a personnel reshuffle within the party.

Cheng Chin-mo, associate professor and chairman of the Department of Diplomacy and International Relations at Taiwan’s Tamkang University, said the plenary meeting would serve as a guide for Washington to draw up its China policy after the 20th Party congress.

On Monday, China’s state-run media Xinhua reported that Xi presented a “work report” and “made explanations” on a draft “historical resolution” celebrating the CCP’s achievements in its 100 years of existence, to officials attending the plenary meeting.

historical resolution, the third of its kind in the Party’s century-long history, is viewed by some analysts as a way for Xi to cement his political power, putting him on par with former Chinese leaders Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping.

first resolution was promulgated by Mao in 1945 and the second by Deng in 1981.

resolution will be debated among CCP officials but it is widely expected to be adopted before the end of the plenary meeting on Nov. 11.

However, Cheng questioned how much of a political boost the resolution would have on Xi, considering the Chinese leader is facing a myriad of internal and external problems.

Inside China, Xi has to deal with a worsening unemployment situation, soaring commodity prices, and the ripple effects of Chinese companies in financial troubles such as property developer Evergrande, according to Cheng.

Externally, Cheng said the Chinese regime is facing enormous international pressure over its policies in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China’s far-western Xinjiang region.

Cheng said: “Unless Xi can seize absolute control over personnel appointments at the Sixth Plenum, and he also implements drastic reforms after being reelected at the 20th Party congress, I think the future of the Chinese Communist Party may not be optimistic.”