Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to be re-elected for a fifth term next month when the ruling Communist Party of China (CCP) holds its crucial 20th Party Congress. The Congress begins on October 16 and it will be a meticulously orchestrated event aimed to demonstrate party unity and Xi Jinping’s dominance.
According to state media quoting an official announcement, a total of 2,296 delegates have been appointed to the 20th Party Congress, comprising a little over 200 full members and around 170 alternative members. They will approve Xi’s third five-year term, which will be unusual since the times of Mao Zedong.
Xi Jinping is in tight control of the one-party state, despite widespread speculations of a coup in Beijing. Military battalions approaching Beijing and widespread flight cancellations were touted as proof that Xi had been placed under house arrest. However, this does not seem to be the case.
According to the party’s earlier declaration, Xi, 69, was elected as a delegate to the Congress in April of this year. According to the statement, the procedure preserved the party’s essence and purpose, adhered to and enriched the party’s overarching leadership, and tried to present intra-party democracy.
The Congress, where Xi is anticipated to be re-elected for a record-breaking third term, is taking place in the midst of a large purge of top security officers who are said to be part of an ideological circle antagonistic to the Chinese President.
Rumours of a military coup in China
In recent days, several social media rumours claiming that President Xi Jinping is being held at home and that there has been a military coup attempt in China have gained popularity. The ominous but unfounded claims sought to paint a turbulent picture of China and a drastic change in politics, but they turned out to be fabrications.
It began when unsubstantiated reports accompanied by videos of military vehicles were shared on social media without attribution. Some others circulated films purporting to show military trucks on their way to Beijing. The rumours were fanned further when some stated that a few flights into and out of Beijing, as well as certain trains and buses, had been cancelled.
As they were covered as exclusive news by several top news sites, the discoveries caused a social media frenzy. However, rumours have stopped ahead of a significant Communist Party meeting in China next month, where Xi Jinping is expected to be given a historic third term.
Functioning of the Communist party of China
China’s Communist Party is primarily an ideological and political organisation. In theory, the CPC derives its ideas and policies from the unified will of the people, which is then transformed into State laws and decisions adopted by the National People’s Congress of China through the State’s legal processes. Theoretically, the CPC does not replace the government in the State’s leadership structure. The Party operates under the framework of the People’s Republic of China’s Constitution and legislation.
The Party’s highest governing entities are the National Congress and the Central Committee that it elects. The Party’s National Congress is held once every five years by the Central Committee.
