Page 14 - The Indian EYE 010623

OPINION JANUARY 06, 2023 | The Indian Eye 14

The 20th Communist Party

of China (CPC) Congress and

the Indian Media View

Delving deeper into editorial coverage of this aspect, it could be discerned that the Indian media
perceives Xi Jinping as an ideologically driven leader. He is bent on reversing the few liberalising policies

introduced by his predecessor to entrench CPC’s control with him at the top

Courtesy: IDSA

MAYURI BANERJEE press in its editorial stated that Xi consisting entirely of his loyalists. Telegraph opined that in 1980s, the
Jinping weaponized the anti-corrup- The second related to the removal of CPC by instituting term limits and
he 20th CPC Congress was tion movement to eliminate all the Hu Jintao in public view before the collective leadership had created an
extensively covered in Indian opponents, developed a surveillance voting on Party resolutions. Both the effective safeguard against person-
Tmedia. An analysis of editori- state, dismantled collective lead- actions demonstrated the prevalence ality cults and policy excesses. How-
als of select English national dailies, ership, concentrated power in his of one-man rule in China and elimi- ever, Xi Jinping’s breaking down of
chosen on the basis of their reader- hands and promoted personality cult. nation of all intra-party resistance. old party structures will result in cre-
ship, brings to fore three themes in Delving deeper into editorial ating a succession void and could set
the media’s views on the 20th CPC Similarly, The Hindu argued coverage of this aspect, it could be the stage for a contest among differ-
Congress—Xi Jinping’s emergence discerned that the Indian media per- ent power groups within the party in
as the most authoritarian leader of that Xi engineered a clean ceives Xi Jinping as an ideologically subsequent years. Moreover, China’s
all times; the implication of Xi’s con- sweep and complete domina- driven leader. He is bent on revers- economic growth could further suffer
tinuing rule on China; and challenges ing the few liberalising policies intro- as Xi is unlikely to change course on
India could face from China’s asser- tion that is unprecedented in duced by his predecessor to entrench his policies of crackdown on multiple
tive foreign policy and military mod- Chinese politics because even CPC’s control with him at the top. sectors of the Chinese economy and
ernisation. In effect, the 20th Party Congress the zero-Covid policy. The editorial
Mao Zedong at the height of his showcased the power wielded by Xi concluded that Xi Jinping’s centrali-
Xi Jinping as China’s most power had to contend with rival Jinping and the developments at the sation of power will not make China
dictatorial leader event were a prelude to more chal- stronger but could render the world
Xi’s centralisation of power con- power centers. lenging times in India–China bilater- more unsafe.
stituted the dominant theme in the al ties. The Tribune commenting on Xi
newspaper editorials. The Times of Two of Xi’s actions were pro- Jinping’s goal of military moderni-
India editorial headline termed Xi jected as evidence of his authoritar- Implication of Xi’s third term sation suggested that the Chinese
Jinping as the ‘new emperor’ who ian streak; first was Xi’s negation of for China economy could come under more
rules supreme whereas The Hindu the ‘collective leadership’ principle The Indian media painted a grim pressure as Beijing will remain fo-
published an editorial titled ‘One of the Party by breaking the presi- picture of the implication of Xi’s cused on military and security issues,
man rule: On Xi Jinping’s firm grip dential term limit and forming a Po- continuing as president of China. In despite economic woes.
on Chinese politics’. The Indian Ex- litburo and its Standing Committee its editorial, ‘Eyes on Beijing’, The Continued at next page... >>

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