Date: 02/12/2022

Relevance: GS-2: Effect of Policies and Politics of Developed and Developing Countries on India’s interests.

Key Phrases: Chinese Communist Party, Central Committee, Politburo Standing Committee, Aksai Chin Issue, Single party Political System, US-led West, China-India Bilateral Relations, Balancing Behaviour.

Context:

• Recently, the 20th Party Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was held in October 2022 which is among the most prominent events in the world.

Key Highlights:

• The 20th Congress of the Communist Party of China has confirmed Xi Jinping’s overwhelming control over his Party and his country.

Main Outcomes of the CPC’s 20th National Congress:

• As expected, Xi secured an unprecedented third term at the helm of the Chinese Communist Party.
  • The concentration of power in his hands was clearly visible in the composition of the Politburo Standing Committee, a grouping of seven men who rule China.
• Unlike previous leaders, who constructed a delicate factional balance in this top political body, Xi has swept aside party elders and rival factions to place his own associates in top positions.
• Numerous informal norms were neglected on age restrictions: older leaders were typically retired while younger ones were allowed to continue.
  • These norms, which injected some stability into Chinese politics, were done away with.
• The CPC’s 20th Congress underlined General Secretary Xi Jinping’s role not just as the core of the Central Committee but also as the founder of new ideas and interpretations of Marxism within the Party.
• Over the past few years, the Party has tackled contradiction by moving away from an emphasis on GDP growth rates and undermining the domination of the private sector.
  • The approach was represented by the concept of “common prosperity”, which has now been incorporated into the Party constitution.

Key Takeaways for India:

• Neither the deliberations in the Party Congress nor any of the post-Congress fulminations by China’s leaders, appear directed at India.
• The Chinese Party-state for its part, insists on separating other aspects of the Sino-Indian relationship from the border situation and views the US as its principal challenger and an existential threat.
  • The latter aspect has led to a tendency under Xi to view India as possessing no views or agency of its own, and only doing the US’ bidding.
• A more powerful Xi focused on the threat from the US but at the same time constrained from acting directly against it could possibly target those he sees as US proxies — Taiwan, Japan, and India among others.

Way Forward:

• Both India and China have a fair degree of understanding on the need for cooperation at the global level on a range of issues.
  • There must be greater coordination if this understanding can be converted into a force for actual change – for instance, the need to push for tougher climate change accountability from the West and a more equitable economic order.
• Repeated charges by western sources about China’s designs on countries in the Indo-Pacific should not provoke India into taking any rash steps, as both situations and events tend to change rapidly.
• A careful study of the border hotspots indicates that China’s concerns are largely regarding Aksai Chin; its importance, in China’s eyes, lies in its proximity to China’s Tibet and Xinjiang.
• India’s growing closeness to the U.S. and the West certainly irks China, and as is evident from the Party Congress deliberations, China sees the U.S.-led West as its principal antagonist.
  • Hence, China’s excessive concerns about strategic entities such as the Quad, as also about other common approaches that give an impression of closer strategic alignment between India and the U.S. or India and the West.
  • These will be perceived as indicative of hostile intentions towards China.

Conclusion:

• China today is much more powerful than it ever was, there is nowhere any clear evidence that China is about to use this power to change the course of history.

Source: The Hindu

Mains Question:

Q. What are the key takeaways for India from the 20th party congress of the Chinese Communist Party? Critically analyse. (150 Words).