China’s Political Discourse July 2022: Setting the Tone for the 20th National Congress

By China Media Project

Toward the end of July, a meeting was convened in Beijing for top provincial CCP leaders from across the country. The “spirit” of the “important speech” delivered at the gathering by General Secretary Xi Jinping was advertised as “welcoming the Party’s 20th National Congress.” The discussion seminar of provincial leaders that accompanied the event — referred to in shorthand as the “provincial-ministerial seminar” (省部班) — was regarded within the CCP as setting the tone for this major political event, which will chart China’s course for the coming five years. 

This meeting and related reporting in the Party-state media pushed the phrase “Two Establishes” (两个确立), a core terminology signaling the power and authority of Xi Jinping, into Tier 2 for the fourth month this year, a notable rise from the Tier 3 performance recorded for the phrase in June. This will be a term to watch closely for August, as there are signs already that it has not performed strongly since top leaders emerged from t…