China: 'Helmsman' Xi Jinping cements legacy equal to founder Mao, ensures role beyond 2022

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) concluded an annual four-day meeting last week and the sole agenda of ‘Sixth Plenum’ was to pass ‘Resolution on the Major Achievements and Historical Experience of the Party over the Past Century.’ First Post noted that it was only the third time in CPC’s nearly a century-old existence that a resolution on party’s history has been passed ensuring that Chinese President Xi Jinping will remain at the helm of the party for another term if not two. But seemingly, Xi has even surpassed great reformer, Deng Xiaoping in the pantheon of greatest CPC leaders.

Additionally, the Sixth Plenum has indicated Xi is now equal to CPC founder and Great Helmsman Mao Zedong. The media report noted that Xi has amassed outstanding control over the Party to the extent that he is now the CPC and CPC is Xi. This has further made him virtually immune to internal tiffs and even criticism against him because of complete consolidation of CPC’s power gives Xi an invulnerable moral and political protection. 

The Sixth Plenum also reinforced the centrality of the ruling CPC in the development of the nation with its “core” leader, Xi as the “sole guiding force for the party, the government and the army in the 21st century.” Now, the Chinese President’s anointment for an additional term or terms at the 20th Party Congress is reportedly just a formality. 

Just a day after the meeting in which the ‘historic resolution’ was passed, CPC conducted  pressed on Party’s adoption of move where Xi was termed “helmsman” and “people’s leader.”Jiang Jinquan, who heads the party’s policy research office, according to the report, said at the presser on Friday, “As long as we uphold Comrade Xi Jinping as the core... the giant vessel of Chinese rejuvenation will have a helmsman and will be able to brave any storms.”

Same title was previously used to described Mao

China Medi Project has noted that Xi was referred to as the “helmsman” and “pilot at the helm at the core” first in 2020 which is the same title that was previously used to describe only Mao. First Post noted that the conclusion from these statements and other symbolic gestures make it evident that “the chairman is everything” and Xi will remain at the helm as long as he wishes. It has also made it clear that there is nobody within the CPC or likely in the near future to challenge the primacy of CPC’s “core” leader.  

(IMAGE: AP)