THE week-long 20th Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), from Sunday, October 16 to Saturday October 22, drew the best efforts by the Western media to pour cold water over an event that would confirm China’s future course in pursuit of a socialist state China-style, through adoption of a national system of socialism with Chinese characteristics by 2049, the centenary of the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
The CPC celebrated its own centenary in 2021 and the world’s largest and oldest party of its type opened its congress with 2,300 delegates representing over 96 million members.
But through it all, the international mainstream media’s emphasis was on one man: CPC General-Secretary and PRC President, Xi Jinping, depicting him as a totalitarian leader who appointed himself to decide everything for everyone in China, forever…
BBC and CNN correspondents in Beijing, Hong Kong and Taipei described it as “highly-choreographed” and President Xi as having moved, in his first two terms, “from a relative unknown, to chairman of everything…”
They acknowledged Xi had become the most popular CPC and PRC leader since the CPC’s Founding Chairman, Mao Tse Tung — the PRC’s first President – but claimed it’s “because he gave life to everyone’s China Dream,” he’d “fought corruption” and “reformed the military.”
So, by their reporting, President Xi had now “arranged to give himself an unprecedented third term” and “making himself unchallengeable,” as he starts “his ultimate journey” as “President and General-Secretary, For Life.”
The CPC Congress delivered on all it promised – including Xi’s third term – but nothing on the hyped-up predictions and expectations that China would have changed course on its “Zero COVID” policy.
Same with the Taiwan issue: Xi said China wishes for a peaceful reunification process, but won’t rule out the use of force – and his repetition of the 73-year-old CPC position, adopted in 1949 after the defeated Kuomintang (KMT) retreated to and occupied the island after the mainland civil war, again deflated their overblown expectations.
The reports also claimed, inter-alia, that “no successor was identified,” so “Xi will now remain in office for the rest of his life…”
When the congress finally ended, the speculation moved into higher gear, this time into last-lap predictions, including that China may soon “call Washington’s perceived bluff” on its claimed adherence to the One China Policy; more Belt & Road Initiative (BRI) investment in countries neighbouring China and in the developing world, and that China and Russia will eventually have “problems over Ukraine,” while “cooperating on de-dollarization.”
The Western media warriors also fought tooth and nail to convince viewers and listeners, readers and browsers that President Xi simply wants to “rule forever” through “accumulation of excessive power,” completely ignoring that Xi Jinping’s thoughts were adopted by the CPC as its main guiding philosophy, since 2018.
They also ignored (but cannot deny) that Beijing is a leading member of the BRICS group of larger developing nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), which already jointly represents the majority of humanity — and has more nations knocking on its doors, including Argentina and Saudi Arabia.
And they conveniently overlooked the fact that China’s role on the world stage today — in economics and finance, politics and diplomacy, war and peace, Climate Change and global trade — is such that, as President Xi remarked in his closing remarks, “The world needs China.”
But while the mainstream international media reports span far and wide across the Caribbean and some media houses would choose to opt for the saucy but misleading headline coverage, not necessarily so in Guyana, where the two governments, last June, observed the 50th Anniversary of establishment of bilateral ties back in 1970.
Fraternal ties have only flourished over the last five decades, resulting in mutually beneficial trade and people-to-people ties that have long historical bases, including the arrival of Chinese immigrants.
Indeed, the parents of the nation’s first President of the Republic, Arthur Chung (after whom the convention centre in Georgetown is named) arrived from China’s Fujian Province.
Today, Guyana-China ties are strongly manifested in China’s National Offshore Oil Company’s sizeable investment in the growing and expanding oil and gas industry and consistent growth in bilateral trade.
Guyana-China ties have been maintained and respected by administrations of both the governing People’s Progressive Party (PPP) and the main opposition People’s National Congress (PNC); and both parties have historical ties with the CPC, established under earlier PNC administrations with the likes of Shridath Ramphal, Rashleigh Jackson and Carl Greenidge in the Foreign Ministry and continued under veteran PPP/Civic Foreign Minister Clement Rohee and his successors — and being kept warm today under Minister Hugh Todd, Secretary Robert Persaud and Director-General, Elizabeth Harper.
There once existed a flourishing Guyana-China Friendship Association and during the year of the 50th anniversary, interest is being expressed in its revival, with positive expressions of interest by past players and former office holders at home and abroad, who feel that in the current context, it’s important that people-to-people ties, while growing, are accelerated at and between both ends.
China’s global foes will naturally be concerned that the PRC has established stronger ties than (they) expected in this part of the world, with trade and commerce, construction and other developmental ties also growing exponentially in the Caribbean and South America.
Guyana-China ties are also set to grow exponentially during President Xi Jinping’s third term, and for as long as his thoughts guide the routes along the new silk road, which will lead the PRC to Xi and the CPC’s crowning centennial achievement: proclamation, declaration and adoption of the new philosophy of socialism with Chinese characteristics.
Another long march is underway, this time from Beijing to the rest of China, over the next quarter-century, leading to the centenary of the Republic in 2049.
And that the PRC’s foes simply can’t stand, but will continue to sell short, though unable to prevent!