Chinese Communist Party

An Explainer

Every five years, the eyes of the world turn to China as the ruling Communist Party holds its congress. The event determines who will lead the Party. Those people will go on to lead the 1.3 billion people of China and helm the world’s second largest economy. In this context, China’s top officials gathered at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on 18 October for the 19th national congress of the Communist Party of China – the 19th since the party’s foundation in Shanghai in 1921.

What is the party congress?

Since the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been the dominant decision-making body, providing direction and guidance to the State Council, the administrative authority of the country. Held every five years since the 11th Communist Party of China (CCP) Congress in 1977 – the year after Chairman Mao Zedong’s death – the National Congress draws together selected delegates from the CCP’s membership base. On the face of it, the congress is a high-profile summit where official task of the 2300 delegates (This year there were 2,287 carefully screened delegates as 13 of the original lot were disqualified to attend this event) approve new policies and elect a new Central Committee, the people who will lead China for the next five years.

The party’s National Congress, held every five years in Beijing, is the central event for announcing official leadership transitions. The Eighteenth Party Congress, in 2012, solidified Xi Jinping’s ascent to power.

This year’s congress marked the start of his second, and supposedly last, five-year term. Five of the seven spots on China’s top ruling council, the politburo standing committee, were up for grabs, as were 11 of the wider politburo’s 25 seats and roughly half of the spots on the 205-member central committee.

Congress Reports

The congress also approves long-term goals, including new reforms and changes to the constitution. During the week-long congress, the general secretary presents a political work report, briefing delegates on progress made since the last congress and outlining objectives for the next five years. These reports are seen as the most authoritative and revealing documentation of the CCP’s aspirations; previous reports have developed the notion of “socialism with Chinese characteristics,” which continues to inform the country’s economic policy. Ultimately, “the deeper purposes of the Congress and the Report are to reaffirm the Party’s importance to itself and to the nation,” writes former UK and EU diplomat to China Charles Parton.

Importance of CPC

In China’s one-party state, the peaceful transition of power from one generation of leaders to the next lends crucial legitimacy to CCP rule. Previous congresses have institutionalized the process of leadership succession, elevating those who will be groomed for senior leadership positions. Mandatory retirement ages, which were standardized in 2002, require top officials at least sixty-eight years old to step down. At this year’s congress, eleven out of twenty-five of the Politburo were slated to retire, including five of the seven Standing Committee members, antigraft czar Wang Qishan, President Xi’s right-hand man, among them.