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Chinese leader Xi Jinping was on Friday formally reappointed as President, for an unprecedented third term, for another five years in office. His selection was no surprise, especially after he was appointed General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party October 2022, again for a third term. The developments mark the return of one-man rule to China, making him the country’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong.
Our Beijing correspondent Ananth Krishnan reports on President Xi’s reinstatement, and the recent appointment of Li Qiang, a long-time close ally of President Xi, as China’s next Premier.
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Who is Li Qiang, President Xi’s new right hand, stepping into a post that was diminished over the past decade? Why is his appointment seen as ending China’s two-headed governance system? Read this profile by Ananth Krishnan.
The National People’s Congress (NPC) session during the weekend also saw the endorsement, along expected lines, of two People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Generals, Zhang Youxia and He Weidong, as Vice-Chairmen of the Central Military Commission (CMC) of the State, which is headed by Mr. Xi. While it would seem like a series of new appointments to powerful positions in the Chinese establishment, it effectively points to one thing — Mr. Xi’s firm grip over every branch of the Party and State.
The changes at the helm coincide with China’s growing focus on its military might. Last week, the government announced a hike in defence spending by 7.2% to $225 billion in 2023, saying the rise was needed to deal with “complex security challenges”, even as China’s Foreign Minister Qin Gang has accused the United States of attempting “to encircle China” through its Indo-Pacific strategy.
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The Top Five
What we are reading this week – the best of The Hindu’s Opinion and Analysis.
Shipping containers at Haikou Port in China’s southern Hainan province. | Photo Credit: AFP
1. China’s massive Hainan bet - Beijing is relying on an unlikely destination, a lush tropical island, to launch what some hope will be a second round of reforms and open up the Chinese economy. Read Ananth Krishnan’s reportage.
2. The Saudi-Iran agreement signed in Beijing on Friday, if successful, will have far-reaching impacts worldwide. India is yet to comment, but what does the development mean for India? Suhasini Haidar probes.
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3. What is the new U.K. policy on refugees? Narayan Lakshman writes on why the UN refugee agency and the EU have criticised the Illegal Migration Bill.
4. Also read The Hindu’seditorial on the U.K.’s new ‘Illegal Migration Law’ - Western democracies are belittling the contribution of immigrants.
5. Using Ukraine as a bellwether is a path to tragedy: Former NSA M.K. Narayanan argues that it would be a gross misreading of the situation if the U.S. were to attempt the containment of China, paving the way for a new world conflict.
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Sri Lanka watch
Sri Lanka’s President Ranil Wickremesinghe during an interview at Presidential Secretariat in Colombo, Sri Lanka. | Photo Credit: REUTERS
Crisis-hit Sri Lanka reached the last lap in course to secure a bailout package from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), after its top bilateral creditor China recently provided financing assurances last week.
China’s financing assurances followed those from India, and the Paris Club, of which Japan is a member, to the IMF. This is in addition to India’s nearly $4 billion-assistance to the island nation last year.
Earlier, Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Ali Sabry spoke to our Diplomatic Affairs Editor Suhasini Haidar on how India “rescued” Sri Lanka. Read the full interview here.
Also watch Worldview with Suhasini Haidar, on Sri Lanka’s recovery and the significance of India’s support.
Meanwhile, what happened to the Tamil’s long quest for a durable political solution to address the country’s troubled past? Read this piece from our ‘Text & Context’ section.