All power to the president: after Xi Jinping strengthened his power last year, he is now going a step further. In the future, he will finally gain control of the government in the one-party dictatorship.
At the end of the National People’s Congress session on Monday, representatives gave the all-dominating state party and party leader Xi Jinping more executive control over the cabinet, the State Council. With 2,883 votes in favor, eight and nine abstentions, the delegates in Beijing voted in favor of a corresponding change in the law.
In recent years, the executive powers of the State Council headed by the prime minister, which officially oversees the 21 ministries and regional governments, have been gradually eroded. This year, for the first time in thirty years, the prime minister’s press conference at the end of the People’s Congress was canceled.
The most powerful head of state since Mao Tse-tung
Just last year, the People’s Congress strengthened Xi’s power and confirmed him as president for an unprecedented third term. Just a few months earlier, he had also been re-elected for another five years as Secretary General of the Central Committee of the ruling communists.
This made Xi the most powerful head of state in China since Mao Tse-tung, who co-founded the Communist Party and proclaimed the People’s Republic of China in 1949. At the same time, Xi promoted loyal followers to top positions, such as current Prime Minister Li Qiang, and replaced more reform-minded officials.
The government only needs to implement guidelines
The law on the organization of the State Council has now been amended for the first time since 1982. According to legal experts, this continues the shift of more and more power from the state into the hands of the party, leaving the government only to faithfully implement the party’s directives. The amendment emphasizes that the State Council must “resolutely uphold the authority of the Party Central Committee and its centralized and unified leadership” and adhere to Xi’s ideology.
“This is an important shift in the reorganization of executive power in China,” said law professor Ryan Mitchell of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. “While it is always clear that the party leader is the most influential figure in the overall hierarchy, the exact division of labor in policymaking and especially in monitoring policy implementation can be opaque.”
“Open control over state organs”
Thomas Kellogg of Georgetown University in Washington said: “It is a further sign that the party is both expanding its open control over state bodies and wants to be seen as fully accountable.” The abolition of the prime minister’s final press conference, traditionally one of the most important dates in the Chinese political calendar, is “yet another example of how the institutions of governance are falling by the wayside in favor of the party.”
Don’t let faith decide anything
Since taking office in 2012, Xi has established several new central party committees that oversee various ministries and report directly to him. Some of them interfere with economic and financial policy, which is actually the responsibility of the Prime Minister.
The State Council no longer meets weekly, but only meets two to three times a month. “We are still in the midst of years of reshaping the structure of the party and the state, and it is likely that more such changes will come,” said expert Kellogg.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
