Chinese President Xi Jinping’s marathon speech on Wednesday at the inaugural of the twice-a-decade Party Congress may have echoed some of the ideas of Wang Huning — a rising star in the ranks of the Communist Party of China (CPC).
Mr. Wang, already a blue-chip ideologist, is likely to enter the apex seven-member Standing Committee of the Politburo, headed by CPC General Secretary, Mr. Xi. Mr. Wang is currently part of the 25-member Politburo — a rung below the Standing Committee.
In tune with Mr. Xi’s emergence as China’s leader in 2012, Mr. Wang’s influence as a leading Party theoretician had also been rising. He has been credited with arming former President Jiang Zemin with ideas for his “Three Represents” code. He had also advised President Xi’s predecessor, Hu Jintao — the architect of the Scientific Outlook on Development.
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In a show of unity and cohesion within the CPC, both Mr. Jiang and Mr. Hu were part of Mr. Xi’s entourage at Wednesday’s inaugural of the 19th Party Congress.
Though known as an intellectual who spent his formative years in Shanghai’s Fudan University, Mr. Wang is not unacquainted with Beijing’s political universe. He was inducted in the Central Secretariat that manages the day-to-day running of the Politburo and its Standing Committee by former President Hu.
Analysts say that after his expected inclusion in the new Standing Committee, Mr. Wang is likely to run the Central Secretariat, focusing on ideology — his area of prime interest.
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Citing sources involved in intra-party discussion, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post is reporting that Mr. Wang’s “possible ascension reflected the pressing need for Xi to have someone at the top to provide ideological backing for his ambitious reform programmes”.
The perception dovetails with Mr. Xi’s advocacy that the CPC members should be better armed with “theory,” during his address on Wednesday.
Not enamoured by western style liberalism
Despite spending time in the United States, Mr. Wang shows no signs of being enamoured by western style liberalism. On the contrary, he seems inclined to back an independently developed home-grown ideology, rooted in China’s unique national experience.
In an article published in March 1988 in a Fudan University journal titled, “Analysis on the Ways of Political Leadership During the Modernisation Process,” Mr. Wang advocated the adoption of a “centralised” political model over a “democratic” and “decentralised” architecture. He said centralised leadership would promote “rapid economic growth” and better steer distribution of “social resources.”
Mr. Wang also underscored that as China modernises, “the scope of the policy-making by the political leadership will expand without precedent,” requiring the steadying presence of a centralised leadership armed with a broad vision and high sense of responsibility.
Shanghai roots
Mr. Wang’s rise can be largely attributed to his talent, as well as his Shanghai roots. People’s Digest , a state-run magazine, points out that Zeng Qinghong and Wu Bangguo — former Shanghai officials who later became members of the Politburo’s Standing Committee — strongly backed Mr. Wang during his formative years. When Mr. Jiang, a former Party Secretary of Shanghai, became President, Mr. Wang found a place in the CPC’s Beijing-based Central Policy Research Office.
As the CPC deliberates its new line-up, Shanghai’s current Party Secretary, Han Zheng is also likely to find a place among the country’s top seven leaders.