Around the Halls: The outcomes of China’s 20th Party Congress

The 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party was held from October 16 to October 22, 2022. Brookings experts reflect on the elite political gathering and what its outcomes mean for China and the rest of the world.

Listen: What does Xi Jinping’s power move mean for China?

China’s 20th Party Congress demonstrated that none of Beijing’s recent troubles, from public anger over COVID lockdowns to economic slowdowns and rising international tensions, have dented President Xi Jinping’s grip on power, says Patricia Kim. On this episode of The Current, Kim examines what leadership personnel changes and Xi’s domestic focus on national security mean for China’s near-term trajectory.

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China's 20th Party Congress

As part of his ongoing series in China-US Focus forecasting leadership changes at China’s 20th Party Congress, Cheng Li released five articles discussing the increasing number of foreign-educated Chinese policymakers, the impact of growing ties between Russian and Chinese leaders, the rising influence of academic policymakers from elite think tanks, and the ascent of "upper echelon strategists" to leadership positions.

Read Reshuffling Report No. 20 | Read No. 21 | Read No. 22 | Read No. 23 | Read No. 24

Past event

Will China’s strongman become even stronger? What the 20th Party Congress means for the United States. On October 4, the John L. Thornton China Center at Brookings hosted a fireside conversation between New York Times Columnist Thomas L. Friedman and Brookings Senior Fellow Cheng Li, who unpacked how the changes in the upper echelons of the Chinese leadership would affect China’s domestic development and role on the global stage.

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More research and commentary

Xi’s three difficulties: The leadership lineup at the 20th Party Congress. Cheng Li gives an analysis of three major difficulties that face Xi Jinping in his selection of China’s Politburo Standing Committee members. Li writes that the results will allow for a much better assessment of Xi’s ability to address the issues of leadership unity, sociopolitical stability, economic development, and foreign policy in the coming years.

Invigorating regional efforts to bolster maritime security in Asia. In this policy brief, Ryan Hass writes about how to reduce the risk of conflict between regional actors in maritime Asia by emphasizing the importance of forging a greater common understanding of relevant international law, broadening codes of conduct for operational behaviors, expanding practical cooperation in the maritime domain, and organizing existing regional dialogues to spur progress on maritime security.

Checking in on China’s economy during the 20th Party Congress. On an episode of the Dollar & Sense podcast, Eswar Prasad, a professor at Cornell University and senior fellow at Brookings, discusses China’s economic risks and opportunities with David Dollar as China’s 20th Communist Party Congress took place.

In the news

Chinese socio-economic reform after the 20th Party Congress. Cheng Li was quoted by the New York Times on how China’s top policymakers under Xi Jinping will prioritize tax reform and income redistribution through the policy of "common prosperity."

China’s growing confrontational stance. The Financial Times quoted Ryan Hass on his analysis of the growing willingness of China’s leadership to push back against countries that stand in the way of Beijing’s pursuit of national rejuvenation.

Scientific and technological self-reliance. Susan Thornton was interviewed by POLITICO on Xi Jinping’s call for “greater self-reliance and strength in science and technology” to move up the value-added chain on technology, despite recent U.S. actions to block critical technologies.

Organized protests in China. Reuters interviewed Diana Fu about how Chinese citizens are able to use social media and the internet to organize protests despite strict surveillance and censorship.

About the China Center

The John L. Thornton China Center develops timely, independent analysis and policy recommendations to help U.S. and Chinese leaders address key long-term challenges, both in terms of U.S.-China relations and China's internal development.

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