People's Leader Xi - Spring Festival Banquet - Taiwan VP's US Transit
Here are the stories and pieces that I found noteworthy from the Monday, January 31, 2022, edition of the People’s Daily.
Page 1: The front page today is basically about the Central Committee’s Spring Festival banquet. Xinhua’s English story also captures the details, which are basically drawn from Xi Jinping’s speech. The full speech is published on the page too. I am going to draw from the speech.
In his speech, Xi spoke about the year gone by, saying that this was a year to review history, pay tribute to history and look to the future. He praised how everyone had maintained the Three Ox Spirit, making new and notable achievements in the cause of the Party and the country. The next two paragraphs from his speech are well captured in the Xinhua English report:
“Xi said that the year 2021 witnessed remarkable progress for the Party and the country, listing major events including the celebration of the CPC centenary, the adoption of the third historical resolution in the Party's 100 years of history, the victory in the fight against poverty, the attainment of the first centenary goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, and the start of a new journey to fully build a modern socialist China. Last year, China maintained its leading position in the world in terms of both economic development and COVID-19 control, Xi said. He cited China's progress in its high-quality development, capabilities in strategic science and technology, reform and opening-up, and people’s well-being. Xi said comprehensive plans had been made for China to reach its carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals. Xi also noted that order in Hong Kong had been restored, and more efforts were made to combat separatist forces and facilitate reunification. China's major-country diplomacy had also been advanced, Xi added. The country's overall social stability had been well maintained, and the 14th Five-Year Plan period got off to a good start, Xi said.”
In addition, Xi said that significant progress was made in the study and education of Party history. These changes, he added, had “enhanced the pride and confidence of the whole Party and people of all ethnic groups in forging ahead on a new journey…”
Xi then says that “all the achievements made by the Party and the people in the past 100 years are attributed to unity and hard work, which is the most remarkable spiritual symbol of the CPC and the Chinese people. Only a united nation can have a future, and only a united party can remain invincible. The history of the Party’s century of struggle also tells us that unity formed around the clear goal of struggle is the strongest form of unity, and the most powerful struggle is that carried out through close unity.” 一百年来，党和人民取得的一切成就都是团结奋斗的结果，团结奋斗是中国共产党和中国人民最显著的精神标识。百年奋斗历史告诉我们，团结就是力量，奋斗开创未来；能团结奋斗的民族才有前途，能团结奋斗的政党才能立于不败之地。百年奋斗历史还告诉我们，围绕明确奋斗目标形成的团结才是最牢固的团结，依靠紧密团结进行的奋斗才是最有力的奋斗.
The next bit is here in Xinhua English:
“No matter what twists and turns or challenges we may face, we must carry forward the CPC's great founding spirit, and keep in mind that one thrives in adversity and perishes in laxity,” Xi said. “We ought to have a long-term perspective, be prepared for potential dangers even in times of calm, and maintain strong unity and work hard, so as to keep driving forward the great cause of national rejuvenation,” he emphasised. Xi said the CPC will convene its 20th national congress in the second half of 2022 to review the last five years of work and draw the development blueprint for the period to come. Stressing concrete actions for the congress, Xi urged efforts to advance reform and opening-up across the board, promote high-quality development, and ensure and improve the people’s well-being. The focus should be on maintaining a stable and healthy economy, a safe and peaceful society, and a political ecosystem featuring honesty and integrity, Xi added.
Quick thought: To me, the most interesting things about this speech are the emphasis on unity and the absence of common prosperity.
Page 2: There’s a page-long piece telling us the “story of General Secretary Xi Jinping and the people.”
The first sentence sets the tone telling us that despite the passage of time, true feelings are eternal. 岁月流转, 真情永恒. It says that coming from the yellow earth, from being a village Party secretary to a powerful country’s tallest/supreme leader (大国最高领导人), Xi Jinping has always had the people in his heart. He has always regarded the happiness of the people as 国之大者. He led the people in winning the battle against poverty as scheduled, building a moderately prosperous society and is leading the people in embarking on a new journey towards the second centenary goal. 从黄土地中走来，从村支书到泱泱大国最高领导人，习近平总书记心里始终装着人民，时刻把人民幸福作为“国之大者”，带领14亿多人民如期打赢脱贫攻坚战，全面建成小康社会，阔步踏上第二个百年奋斗目标新征程.
Anyway, I am not going through all the details of this story. This is an image-building activity for Xi Jinping as the people’s leader, who is connected to the grassroots and the day-to-day lives and concerns of the people. It’s stuff like this that tells us that Xi is certain to remain in command after the 20th Party Congress. Why else would one need such campaign propaganda in an election year?
Some snippets from the piece. The first section talks about the people-centered approach:
Whether it is having a pleasant conversation in the old neighbourhood of Nanluoguxiang, Beijing, or sitting cross-legged with a fellow townsman on a kang in Fuping, Hebei; whether visiting the masses living in the forest shanty towns in Inner Mongolia, or serving food to the elderly at a Lanzhou nursing home, General Secretary Xi Jinping has carefully observed the people’s joys and sorrows, understood their ups and downs, and devoted himself to exploring the road of people’s happiness. 无论是在北京南锣鼓巷与老街坊亲切交谈，还是到河北阜平在老乡炕上盘腿而坐；无论是在内蒙古阿尔山市伊尔施镇看望生活在林业棚户区的群众，还是在兰州虚拟养老院给老人端菜送饭，习近平总书记用心体察着群众喜忧，感受着百姓冷暖，躬身探寻着人民幸福之路.
The piece talks about Xi’s first visit to Tibet in 1998. He was the deputy Party Secretary of Fujian then. This was a dangerous road journey using cars and even horses to navigate the rugged terrain, the story informs. This is then juxtaposed with Xi via the high-speed train from Nyingchi to Lhasa last year. Xi is credited with presiding over the work related to the development of the Sichuan-Tibet railway line.
There’s also a lot of attention paid to Xi’s visit to poverty-stricken areas and the emphasis on poverty alleviation and common prosperity. There’s an example here of counties in Fujian partnering with counties in Ningxia for development, which I thought was interesting in the context of common prosperity.
Anyway, I’d also like to highlight the following anecdote, which captures the essence of the piece.
This is about Xi’s visit to Shibadong Village in Hunan in November 2013. This is where he put forward the concept of “targeted poverty alleviation.” So the story goes that Xi visited the home of a villager, where the only appliance in operation is an energy-saving lamp. The villager is dressed in an old Miao minority costume. This person is illiterate and has never watched TV, the piece tells us. Xi walks in and the villager asks: “How do I address you?” Everyone else laughed at the question, saying: “This is the general secretary.” Xi took the villager’s hand and said: “I am a servant of the people.” Since then, this villager is much better off. The village helped her set up a small shop and join a cooperative. Now she has no worries about food and clothing, and she has also got a big TV. 2013年11月3日的那个下午，习近平总书记沿着狭窄山路来到十八洞村. 村口第一户，是石爬专老人一家。黑黢黢的木屋里，唯一的“电器”是一盏5瓦的节能灯. 穿着一身陈旧苗族服装的石爬专不识字，没在家里看过电视，见到面带微笑的总书记，有些愣怔，懵懵懂懂用苗语问：“怎么称呼您?” 这一问，大家都笑了，村里人赶忙说“这是总书记”。习近平总书记拉着石爬专的手说：“我是人民的勤务员.” 石爬专一家被列为精准扶贫对象，村里帮她开起了小商店，加入了合作社，现在早已吃穿不愁，也看上了大电视. “每天吃完晚饭，都要看《新闻联播》。总书记叫我大姐，我想多看看这位亲人。”石爬专说.
The second section of the piece essentially talks about how Xi is connected to the masses and how his experiences, ability, drive and dedication give confidence to the people. Xi’s hands - blistered, strong, and caring - are the metaphor for the above-mentioned qualities. For instance, the section basically begins with this anecdote from Xi’s time during the Cultural Revolution.
In 1969, Xi was with the Liangjiahe Brigade, Wen’anyi Commune, Yanchuan County, Shaanxi. Xi ate, lived and worked with the villagers, farming, building dams and picking manure. He quickly became one of them. On one day, when working on a dam without gloves, he grabbed the rope that was tied across the ballast stone with his bare hands and then smacked the soil down with all his strength. His hands were blistered; but he returned to work the next day, even though the blisters opened up. A villager, Wang Xianping, recalls that regardless of how tired or worn out he was, he always worked hard; never did he slacken. 1969年1月，当时还不满16岁的习近平来到地处黄土高原的延川县文安驿公社梁家河大队插队。习近平与村民同吃同住同劳动，种地、打坝、挑粪无所不干，很快跟乡亲们打成一片. 一次打坝时，习近平没有手套，直接用手抓住夯石的绳子，再用全身力气往下砸黄土，一天的工夫，他的手掌磨得全是水泡，第二天再干活，水泡都磨破流血了。“但是不管多累多苦，他能一直拼命干，从来不‘撒尖儿’（偷懒）。”村民王宪平说.
After this, we get a lot of snippets of Xi visiting disaster zones and focussing policy to help children and those affected. Or how Xi held a bowl of rice at a poor person’s home with both hands, indicating his concern and focus on food security.
This section ends by saying: One hand, pulling together a hundred millions hands. On the new journey of forging ahead in the new era, the Chinese people are rolling up their sleeves to build a happier and better life with their hard-working hands. 一双手，挽起亿万双手。奋进新时代的新征程上，中国人民撸起袖子，用勤劳的双手创造更加幸福美好的生活.
The third section talks about the people’s yearning for a better life and Xi’s focus on that. The fourth section essentially has Xi talking about performance legitimacy and public support being critical to political power. In this section, we have the story about Xi telling the Politburo Standing Committee on January 25, 2020, that he couldn’t sleep because he was concerned about the spread of COVID-19. This was just days after the lockdown of Wuhan. Of course, the decision to lock down Wuhan is referred to here as something that took “great political courage.”
The final section has Xi talking about the importance of keeping the people in one’s heart. There’s another anecdote from Xi’s time in Liangjiahe and a bit of Xi telling Russian media during a visit to Sochi in 2014 that he spends all his time working. The end is interesting. We get a story about Xi’s visit to Ningdong Energy Chemical Industry Base in 2016. The employees flocked to greet him. After his comments, the applause and cheers filled the air; they said: “人民领袖爱人民，人民领袖人民爱” – The people’s leader loves the people; the people love the people’s leader.
Page 3: We have MoFA’s comment (English comment) on Taiwan’s vice president’s transit through the US and his engagement with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi:
“China rejects all forms of official interactions between the US and Taiwan and has lodged solemn representation with the US side over Lai Ching-te’s virtual meetings with US lawmakers and others during Lai’s “transit” through the US. We urge the US to abide by the one-China principle and the stipulations in the three China-US joint communiqués, immediately stop the erroneous acts of having official exchanges with Taiwan, avoid sending any wrong signal to the “Taiwan independence” separatist forces, and refrain from further undermining China-US relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.”