Xi Jinping declares himself a ‘historic figure’ like Mao Zedong

Xi Jinping has just put himself on a par with Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong, cementing his control over 1.4 billion people.

ANALYSIS

Is he the messiah? Or just a very naughty boy?

Chairman Xi Jinping has declared himself a “historic figure”, putting himself on a par with Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong and cementing his control over 1.4 billion people.

Xi has already anointed himself “helmsman”, an honorific previously applied only to Chairman Mao. He’s entrenched the philosophy of Xi Thought in China’s schools, once the sole domain of Mao’s Little Red Book.

Now Xi has used the sixth plenum of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to declare himself equally significant to Chinese history as the original founding revolutionary father.

Not only does the declaration help ease himself past the largely formal hurdle and into an unprecedented third five-year term as the nation’s General Secretary, but it also cements his position as “helmsman” for life.

It’s a major breach of CCP norms. But, hey, he’s special.

China's President Xi Jinping has declared himself a “historic figure”. Picture: GREG BAKER / AFP.

Some 370 of China’s most senior Communist Party (CCP) leaders were summoned to Beijing last week. The closed-door plenum they attended is nominally the Party’s “highest organ of authority”. Its purpose is to “perfect” the CCP’s methods of governance ahead of next year’s more choreographed Party Congress.

That’s when a significant reshuffle of the nation’s most senior leadership is scheduled.

Little wonder, then, that the plenum was so eager to anoint “a man of determination and action, a man of profound thoughts and feelings, a man who inherited a legacy but dares to innovate, and a man who has forward-looking vision and is committed to working tirelessly” with “core” powers not seen since the days of China’s imperial dynasties.

At least, that’s how CCP-controlled state media has been portraying Xi in the past week.

The relatively sedate Xinhua state media service published a gushing profile of “the man who leads the Communist Party of China on a new journey”.

The Cult of Xi

Xi is devoted. Xi is flawless. He is perfection personified.

“Xi is undoubtedly the core figure in charting the course of history,” pronounces the 5000-word Xinua profile.

And it’s not just China’s past that the article was referring to, Xi Jinping “effectively leads the historical course of national rejuvenation and influences the whole world” it says.

Xi himself sees bigger things ahead.

“What kind of international order and governance system best suits the world and best suits the people of all countries?” he is quoted as asking.

After rising to China’s top job in 2012, “Daddy Xi” immediately set about cementing his grip on power.

Even now, an anti-corruption drive continues to see high profile figures, including senior CCP figures, police chiefs and intelligence agency heads, jailed. Xi’s hand-picked appointees have replaced them. Or he has merged their roles and responsibilities with his own.

A new, secret “social score” system based on artificial intelligence is being rolled out. It judges how close each individual is to an idyllic perfect citizen through the use of surveillance cameras, shopping records, online comments and other troves of personal data.

Public opinion is carefully controlled. Censorship is pervasive. Contradicting the party line is immediately and heavily punished.

Chinese President Xi Jinping. Picture: Li Xueren / Xinhua

Xinhua’s profile defines the state of critical analysis of China’s public figures: “On the new journey, Xi is undoubtedly the core figure in charting the course of history. How will he lead the Party in the face of opportunities and challenges? How will he bring China back to the world’s centre stage? Today, the world is watching Xi just closely as nine years ago.”

Victory Declared

“A complete victory has been secured in the fight against poverty as scheduled, the people’s wellbeing has been further improved, social stability has been maintained, steady progress was made in modernising national defence and the armed forces, and China’s major-country diplomacy has advanced on all fronts.”

That’s the official communique report card on Xi’s performance after ten years as Chairman.

It anoints Xi now stands as the third great Chinese Communist Party leader.

Chairman Mao forced the Republic of China government to retreat to Taiwan in 1949. He then set about forcing tens of millions of people into rural communes, unleashing a disastrous famine and the murderous Cultural Revolution.

Helmsman Deng Xiaoping in 1981 sought to bury Mao’s brutal legacy. He sidelined Mao’s carefully crafted personality cult and replaced it with a new era of “opening up” and economic modernisation.

Helmsman Xi isn’t so much about institutional change as he is about restoring the ideals that drove Mao’s revolution in the first place – a central, controlled, planned society.

And the plenum’s communique is intended to present Xi as the natural inheritor of Mao Thought and consolidate his position to lead in a ‘new era’.

Xinhua states, “Xi once quoted Mao Zedong”, saying that “after several decades, the victory of the Chinese people’s democratic revolution, viewed in retrospect, will seem like only a brief prologue to a long drama. A drama begins with a prologue, but the prologue is not the climax.”

“History has not ended, nor can it possibly end,” Xi said. “The CPC and Chinese people have every confidence in their ability to provide a Chinese solution to aid the exploration of a better social system for humanity.”

Tensions have been rising between China and the West. Picture: AFP

The Once and Future Strongman

The past 100 years of history, the plenum communique details, outlines a future “journey”. And Xi will be the Chinese Communist Party’s “Great Helmsman”, ensuring it will:

“Upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era.”

“Strengthening our consciousness of the need to maintain political integrity, think in big-picture terms, follow the leadership core, and keep in alignment with the central Party leadership”.

“Resolutely upholding Comrade Xi Jinping’s core position on the Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and upholding the Central Committee’ authority and its centralised, unified leadership to ensure that all Party members act in unison.

Xi’s centrality to the success of the Communist Party is repeated time and time again. It sets up the argument to justify Xi’s breach of Party rules when he takes office for a third term – and possibly in perpetuity after that.

In essence, it argues why wouldn’t you give a “superman” complete control for life?

“Comrade Xi Jinping, through meticulous assessment and deep reflection on a number of major theoretical and practical questions regarding the cause of the Party and the country in the new era, has set forth a series of original new ideas, thoughts, and strategies on national governance revolving around the major questions of our times,” the plenum’s communique declares.

Xi has determined “what kind of socialism with Chinese characteristics we should uphold and develop in this new era, what kind of great modern socialist country we should build, and what kind of Marxist party exercising long-term governance we should develop, as well as how we should go about achieving these tasks.”

It’s Xi’s Party. And he’ll lead if he wants to.

“The Party has established Comrade Xi Jinping’s core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and defined the guiding role of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. This reflects the common will of the Party, the armed forces, and the Chinese people of all ethnic groups, and is of decisive significance for advancing the cause of the Party and the country in the new era and for driving forward the historic process of national rejuvenation.”

Jamie Seidel is a freelance writer | @JamieSeidel