In the footsteps of the first generation of leaders, Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to highlight his template — the “four comprehensives”— during the upcoming once-in-five years conclave of the Communist Party of China (CPC).
Mr. Xi’s four comprehensives, aired and elaborated during his first term in office, provide the theoretical foundation of achieving China’s two strategic goals. The first is to build a “moderately prosperous society” ahead of 2021 — the centenary of the CPC. The second is to build an advanced socialist society by 2049 when the People’s Republic of China (PRC) completes 100 years of its formation.
The “four comprehensives” are likely to be constitutionally engraved during the 19th party congress that begins on Wednesday.
Mr. Xi’s doctrinal focus of building a “moderately prosperous society” has multiple indices. It encompasses doubling China’s GDP from the 2010 level. Consequently China has to be free of all mass poverty, meaning that 70 million of country’s remaining poorest have to be empowered by that time.
What it means
With industrial pollution choking many of the cities, a moderately prosperous society also has the fundamental improvement of the environment and the transformation of social and cultural life as its other major dimensions.
“ Xi has wasted no time in the last five years to push forward his rogramme, strategy and tactics for the next phase of China’s development, writes Shiu Sin Por- a former head of the Hong Kong government’s Central Policy Unit in the South China Morning Post .
He adds: “The two centennial goals Xi introduced, achieving a middle-income society by the year 2021, the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party, and the “Great Revival of the Chinese People” in the year 2049, the 100th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, set forth a clear political programme for the country for the next 30 years or so.”
Explaining Mr. Xi’s theoretical blueprint in detail, Robert Kuhn, a political and economic commentator listed the four comprehensives as: Comprehensively building a moderately prosperous society, comprehensively deepening reform, comprehensively governing the nation according to law and comprehensively strictly governing the Communist Party.
“A moderately prosperous society is the goal, deeper reform is the means, rule of law is the principle, and strict definition of the Party is the action or state of affairs,” he observed last month during a media-interaction organised by the All China Journalists Association (ACJA).
Making most advanced goods
Analysts point out that the slogan of “deepening reform” includes the focus on “supply-side” economics. That covers the production and consumption of the most advanced goods and services, achieved by pursuing and developing Germany’s Industry 4.0 model. It includes focus on 10 most advanced industrial sectors, such as eco-friendly electric vehicles, aviation products and Big Data.
The “four comprehensives” have highlighted the relevance of a supporting legal regime, showcasing the importance of “rule of law,” in tune with achieving economic, environmental and other goals.
Taking on ‘tainted tigers’
Mr. Xi has insisted on a corruption-free Party as the bedrock to steer the country’s current “decisive stage” of transition. The “strict” governance of the CPC— one of the “four comprehensives”— has unleashed a relentless anti-corruption campaign that has already caged six tainted Tigers.
These comprise former security Czar Zhou Yongkang, two former vice-chairmen of the Central Military Commission, Guo Boxiong and Xu Caihou. Ling Jihua a powerful insider in former President Hu Jintao’s camp, as well as former Chongqing party chiefs, Bo Xilai and Sun Zhengcai have been netted as part of the drive.
Similar moves, in the past
President Xi is not the first Chinese leader to make a numerically elaborated doctrinal contribution for advancing Chinese society.
China’s first Prime Minister Zhou Enlai is credited for theorising on four modernisations — a blueprint, which was later, elaborated by China’s paramount leader Deng Xiaoping. Deng sought revival of agriculture, industry, national defence and science and technology as the template of his strategic reform plan.
In 1987, former Prime Minister Zhao Ziyang aired the “one center and two basic points” slogan, which entrusted the Party for steering economic reforms by pursuing four “cardinal principles.”
