Having accelerated the concentration of power in his own hands and consolidated the foundation of his long-lasting administration, Chinese President Xi Jinping appointed a powerful person, who stepped down from a key post in the Chinese Communist Party, at the center of his administration.
The series of measures can be considered to reflect the gravity of the tasks China faces in such areas as the economy and foreign affairs.
The annual session of the National People's Congress has closed. During the session, Xi was reelected to a second term as president. With the constitutional provision that limited presidents to "two five-year terms" removed, it has become possible for Xi to stay in the post even beyond 2023.
In his closing address, Xi reiterated his objective of building China into a "great nation" on a par with the United States by the middle of this century.
To such posts as vice premiers and other ministers, those close to Xi were appointed. Giving greater authority to his close aides, Xi seems to aim to tackle pending issues with a top-down approach.
It is notable that Xi's "ally" Wang Qishan, who contributed to eliminating Xi's political foes in an anti-corruption struggle, has been appointed vice president. In line with the party's established practice of retirement at age 68, Wang stepped down from the party's supreme leadership at its party convention last autumn.
Wang, who served in such posts as vice premier and vice governor of the People's Bank of China -- China's central bank -- is privy to economic and financial policies. With his own network of personal contacts in the United States, Wang had the experience of dealing with the 2008 economic crisis caused by the collapse of U.S. trust bank Lehman Brothers. He appears to have been picked to serve as the Xi administration's control tower in negotiating with the United States.
Reciprocal visits vital for Japan
The U.S. administration under President Donald Trump has pressed Beijing to cooperate in reducing the U.S. trade deficit with China and has imposed measures to restrict imports, targeted at Chinese products. It is said there is even a danger of such actions developing into a trade war.
The unusual personnel appointment may have been made precisely because there is a sense of alarm on the part of Xi regarding the future prospects of China's relations with the United States.
There is also a mountain of other problems to attend to in the economic arena. The country has been pressed to consolidate its effectively collapsed, state-run enterprises and to make reforms to shift its export-dependent economy to a domestic demand-driven economy. A real estate bubble in urban areas and nonperforming loans held by financial institutions also have remained as kindling for a crisis.
Wang, together with Liu He, who was appointed as a vice premier, will be put to the test as to whether they can resolutely remedy opaque economic and trade practices and carry out structural reforms.
As a vice premier-level state councillor responsible for foreign affairs, Foreign Minister Wang Yi was promoted while retaining his current portfolio. In his recent remarks, he has withheld his hard-line stance toward Japan.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Premier Li Keqiang said: "Recent relations between China and Japan are showing clear signs of improvement. I am considering making an official visit to Japan in the first half of this year." These moves seem to take into account Xi's intention of stabilizing China's relations with Japan, while its relations with the United States and North Korea are deteriorating.
Following Li's visit to Japan, the Japanese government needs to realize reciprocal visits to each other's country by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese President Xi. In order to solve pending issues, it is indispensable for Abe to communicate with Xi, who has a strong grip on power.
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, March 21, 2018)
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