China’s Political Discourse October 2022: The Dust Settles on the 20th National Congress of the CCP

By the China Media Project

The latest installment of the excellent China Media Project’s political discourse report, published exclusively on Sinocism.

Even if signaled years in advance, historical reversals can be dispiriting and difficult to accept when they finally come to pass. Happenings that should come as no surprise arrive with a sense of consternation. So it was in the case of this year’s 20th National Congress of the CCP, where Xi Jinping remained as the top leader of the Chinese Communist Party for a third term and consolidated his position at the apex of power.

In hindsight, Xi Jinping’s continued dominance beyond this recent congress was signaled clearly five years ago. Appointments to the Politburo Standing Committee during the last national congress of the CCP in November 2017 included no leader who could be considered a potential successor to Xi as the leader of the Party. Just months after the congress, in March 2018, amendments to the Constitution removed the two-term limit for China’s presiden…