Chinese Communist Party Issues Historic Resolution, President Xi Jinping Follows Mao Zedong And Deng Xiaoping

JAKARTA - The Chinese Communist Party has issued a "historical resolution", strengthening Xi Jinping's status in political history. The document, a summary of the party's 100-year history, discusses the main achievements and future directions.

The resolution, which was passed at the sixth plenary session of the party meeting last Thursday, is the third since it was passed under Mao Zedong in 1945 and the second by Deng Xiaoping in 1981. This puts President Xo on par with party founders Mao and Deng.

"Just like the previous two resolutions, (this resolution) will play an important role in helping to unify the party's theory, will and action for future progress, and in realizing the goal of the second centenary and the great dream of China's rejuvenation," said senior party official Qu. Qingshan at a press conference on Friday, citing the BBC 12 November.

The party had previously set two hundred year goals; China will become a moderately prosperous society by 2021, and secondly, China will become a fully developed, rich and powerful nation by 2049.

Some observers see the resolution as President Xi's latest attempt to reverse decades of decentralization by Chinese leaders, which began under President Deng and continued through other leaders such as Jiang Zemin, a sign China may be returning to the so-called personality cult.

The four-day closed session brought together more than 370 full and replacement members of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party, the country's supreme leader.

It was the last major gathering of party leaders ahead of next year's national congress, where President Xi is expected to seek a historic third term as president.

In 2018, China scrapped a two-term limit on the presidency, effectively allowing him to remain in power for life. In essence, it strengthens Xi's power, experts tell the BBC.

"He's trying to present himself as a hero in China's national travel epic," said Adam Ni, editor of China Neican, a newsletter on China's current affairs.

"By pushing through historical resolutions that place himself at the center of the great narrative of the Party and modern China, President Xi is demonstrating his power. But the document is also a tool to help him maintain this power."

Meanwhile, Dr. Chong Ja Ian of the National University of Singapore said the latest move set President Xi apart from previous Chinese leaders.

"(Former leaders) Hu Jintao and Jiang Zemin have never had as much consolidated authority as Mr Xi. However, it is not clear whether they have the inclination to do so, when faced with similar opportunities," said Dr. Chong.

"There is of course a lot of emphasis on President Xi Jinping as a person at the moment. The extent to which he is becoming more formally institutionalized is what a lot of people are wary of right now," he said.

Both Deng and Mao, who passed the previous resolution, used it as a way to break with the past.

The first resolution, adopted at the party plenary in 1945, helped Mao consolidate his leadership so that he had full authority, when he declared the creation of the People's Republic of China in 1949.

As for when Deng took over as leader in 1978, he initiated a second resolution in 1981, in which he criticized Mao's "mistakes" during the 1966-1976 Cultural Revolution, which caused millions of deaths. Deng also laid the groundwork for China's economic reforms.

However, unlike previous resolutions, President Xi instead wants to emphasize continuity with his resolutions, Ni said.

To note, news of President Xi comes at a time when China has become a global power, something that was almost unimaginable a few decades ago.

"The country stands at a point where it can now see significant growth in its economy, military and recognition of its status as a major power, with the CCP and its leadership firmly entrenched without any domestic opposition," explained Dr. Chong.

"In some ways, the CCP with President Xi at the helm has reached the pinnacle of achievement for the party and for China," he said.

However, politics can be "surprising", experts say, and despite all the evidence that President Xi retains leadership for the foreseeable future, anything can happen.

"China's elite politics are unclear, so there's a lot we don't know," Ni said.