- Chinese Leader Calls for Stronger Coordination Amid Domestic and Global Pressures
BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday urged the ruling Communist Party to adapt to changing circumstances while safeguarding its achievements, as the country marked the 105th anniversary of the party’s founding.
Speaking during a 40-minute ceremony at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, Xi emphasized the need for the party to remain resilient in the face of evolving opportunities and challenges confronting the nation.
“China’s development is currently in a period where strategic opportunities, risks and challenges coexist,” Xi said, calling for stronger coordination in addressing both domestic and international issues.
Economic and Geopolitical Challenges in Focus
Although Xi did not specify particular concerns, analysts have pointed to slowing economic growth and demographic decline as major long-term challenges facing the world’s second-largest economy.
China is also navigating mounting external pressures, including Western restrictions on access to advanced technologies, volatile trade relations with the United States, and continued tensions over Taiwan.
Against this backdrop, the Communist Party leadership has placed greater emphasis on strengthening its control across all sectors of Chinese society, viewing political stability and unity as essential to national development.
Party Seeks Greater Global Influence
Founded in 1921 by only a few dozen revolutionaries, the Communist Party of China now says it has more than 100 million members, accounting for about 7.2 percent of the country’s population.
State news agency Xinhua this week said the party’s ambition is to evolve from the world’s “largest political party” into its “most powerful political party.”
Xi urged party members to eliminate practices that could undermine the organization’s progress and integrity, calling for the removal of “all viruses that erode the party’s healthy body” and stressing the importance of maintaining the party’s “purity.”
Xi Continues Drive for Discipline and Anti-Corruption
Since taking office in 2012, Xi—widely regarded as China’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong—has sought to reinforce the Communist Party’s authority, demand strict loyalty within its ranks, and expand China’s influence on the global stage.
His administration has overseen one of the country’s most extensive anti-corruption campaigns in decades, investigating millions of officials and removing hundreds from office, including senior military commanders, in a sweeping crackdown on graft and misconduct.
BY: The Times Union
