China’s President Xi Jinping on Tuesday called for “historical confidence” and “unity” as he led senior Communist Party officials on a tour of a new exhibition in the capital highlighting “breakthroughs and landmark achievements” of the past decade of his rule.
Mr. Xi’s visit to the exhibition was his first public appearance since returning 11 days ago from the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Uzbekistan. Mr. Xi had similarly avoided public engagements after returning from a visit to Hong Kong in July in keeping with China’s travel rules and “zero-COVID” policy that require arrivals to quarantine and isolate for a period of 10 days.
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Leading a group of leaders including members of the Politburo and Central Military Commission on a tour of an exhibition “on the great achievements of the Party and the country over the past decade”, Mr. Xi called for “concerted efforts to forge ahead determinedly toward a new victory of socialism with Chinese characteristics”, the official Xinhua news agency said.
“We should widely publicise the strategic initiatives, transformative practices, breakthroughs and landmark achievements over the past 10 years,” he said, “so as to inspire the whole Party and the people of all ethnic groups to strengthen their historical confidence, enhance their historical initiative… and move forward with determination and unity.”
The exhibition highlights poverty reduction campaigns, the pandemic response, as well as military modernisation of the past decade. Mr. Xi is expected to begin an unprecedented third-term following a twice-a-decade National Congress of the Communist Party that will convene in Beijing on October 16.
