Xi stresses stability as China's Communist Party begins conclave

Chinese president expected to be set on path to historic third term by gathering of party leadership

Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks during the 2022 Communist Party congress at The Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China. Getty

Mr Xi, centre, with the other members of the Communist Party's new Politburo Standing Committee. Bloomberg

Mr Xi, Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang and Li Xi, attend the Politburo Standing Committee meeting. Getty

A delegate poses for a photo at the end of the closing ceremony of the congress in front of the Great Hall of the People. Bloomberg

China's President Xi Jinping, right, sits beside Premier Li Keqiang, second left, as former president Hu Jintao, second right, is escorted from the closing ceremony of the congress. AFP

Shanghai Communist Party Secretary Li Qiang, left, and Vice Premier Sun Chunlan at the closing ceremony. Getty Images

Mr Xi, centre bottom, and other senior members of the government raise their hands to vote during the closing session. Getty

A screen shows a news report about Mr Xi addressing the congress in Hong Kong. EPA

A general view of the closing ceremony. Getty

Delegates applaud as Mr Xi speaks during the opening ceremony of the congress. AP

Military band members stand at attention during the opening ceremony. EPA

Gyaltsen Norbu, the Chinese government-appointed 11th Panchen Lama, one of the most important figures in the Gelug tradition behind the Dalai Lama, at the opening ceremony. AP

Mr Xi delivers his speech. AP

Mr Xi is shown on a TV on a street in Hong Kong. AFP

Members of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) walk past an image of Mr Xi at an exhibition at the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution in Beijing. Reuters

A man watches the opening session of the 20th Chinese Communist Party Congress at a store in Fuyang, in China’s eastern Anhui province. AFP

People pose for photos next to a Communist monument in Nanniwan in Yan’an city in the north-west Shaanxi province. AFP

Members of the military band stand during the opening ceremony of the congress. EPA

Military attendees leave after the opening ceremony of the 20th National Congress of China's ruling Communist Party at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. AP Photo

Hostesses prepare drinks before the opening ceremony. AP

The Great Hall of the People abuzz with people before the opening ceremony. AP

China’s President Xi Jinping hailed the country’s rise as a global power and demanded unity around his leadership on Sunday as he launched a Communist Party Congress that is expected to endorse his bid for a historic third term.

In an opening address to 2,300 delegates gathered at the Great Hall of the People, Mr Xi promoted and defended a range of signature policies — including zero-Covid and his anti-corruption drive that has taken down rivals in the party.

“Unity is strength, and victory requires unity,” Mr Xi said after walking onstage to a thunderous reception from the hand-picked attendees who will vote during the week-long Congress on the party leadership for the next five years.

The president — whose 10-year rule has seen the country become a global superpower — said “China's international influence, appeal and power to shape the world has significantly increased”.

During his 100-minute “work report” on the past five years, Mr Xi also focused on two of China's most sensitive security and sovereignty issues in relation to Hong Kong, after democracy protests were crushed there, and on Taiwan.

He lauded Hong Kong's transition from “chaos to governance”, while his vow to “never commit to abandoning the use of force” on the self-ruled island of Taiwan drew rapturous applause.

Mr Xi celebrated the party's continued efforts to eradicate Covid — which are placing heavy curbs on people's lives and hammering the nation's economy — as a major achievement.

He said the approach had “protected people's safety and health to the highest degree”.

He also highlighted as a success his crackdown on corruption that has seen thousands of people jailed. Critics say it has been used to crush dissent and opposition to his rule.

Mr Xi said the campaign had eliminated “serious latent dangers” within the Communist Party, the military and the state.

“The fight against corruption has won an overwhelming victory and has been comprehensively consolidated,” he said.

In a speech that mostly focused on domestic issues, Mr Xi also told the delegates that China would “actively participate in global governance on climate change”.

He also reiterated that China opposed a “Cold War mentality” in international diplomacy, but made no mention of frayed relations with the United States.

He also did not make reference to the war in Ukraine.

There were no policy announcements in the address, which was largely a review of the current state of play, and analysts said Mr Xi wanted to project stability.

“This is a very turbulent time with the Covid crisis, economic downturn and tense international situation, especially with the US,” said Alfred L Chan, a Xi biographer and professor based in Canada.

“Caution, rather than dramatic change, is more prudent.”

Should everything go to plan, Mr Xi, 69, will be endorsed as the party's general secretary after the week-long meeting ends, cementing his position as China's most powerful leader since Mao Zedong.

Mr Xi and the party's other top brass are likely to be unveiled on October 23, the day after the Congress closes.

If picked as party leader for another five-year term as expected, he is almost certain to be elected president at the annual meeting of China's National People's Congress in March.

In the highly choreographed, mostly closed-door conclave this week, the delegates will pick members of the party's roughly 200-member Central Committee, which in turn selects the 25-person Politburo and its all-powerful Standing Committee — the country's highest leadership body.

A heavy police presence was in place around Beijing early on Sunday as authorities prepared for the Congress.

Participants navigated a string of security checks before entering the hall, where a giant hammer-and-sickle emblem hung over the stage on which top leaders are seated.

“Long live the great, glorious and correct Chinese Communist Party,” said one of the bright red banners adorning the hall.

In the background, authorities were working to extinguish any form of public dissent.

In the lead-up to the Congress, China's internet censors removed virtually all references to reports of a rare protest in Beijing that involved banners denouncing Mr Xi and the country's Covid policies.

Video footage and photos shared on social media on Thursday appeared to show a protester draping two hand-painted banners on the side of a bridge with slogans criticising the Communist Party's policies.