Xi Jinping formed a new government. Not without surprises.
Sunday’s appointments came on the eve of the week-long meeting.
About 3,000 carefully selected delegates from Communist Party branches across China attended the gathering. Held once a year, it sets strong guidelines for China’s political course in the coming years. Politics is formed in advance by the party. The delegates to the People’s Congress have virtually no influence on the policy that is adopted.
China’s new government is made up of old and new faces. The ministers were nominated by the newly appointed Prime Minister, Li Qiang.
1 out of 3Photo: Ng Han Guan/AP
Two directors must retire
General Li Shangfu was appointed the new Minister of Defense. It was under US sanctions when Donald Trump was president. The reason is that he led a centralized Chinese weapons development program. Like his predecessor Wei Feng, he is the only one with a military background in the new government.
Commerce Minister Wang Wentao will remain in his post.
China also kept Central Bank Governor Yi Gang and Finance Minister Liu Kun in their posts. It was unexpected. According to Reuters, the economic uncertainty is the reason they haven’t made any major changes.
Ye and Liu are both 65 years old. They must have already retired, as they have reached the official retirement age. President Xi Jinping himself is 69 years old, and he is ready for his third five-year term.
Will Xi remain in office for life?
The 69-year-old is considered the most powerful leader in China since Mao Zedong. Mao led China from 1949 until his death in 1976.
Xi himself has made sure to scrap the rule that Chinese leaders can serve no more than two terms in office, and the previous maximum age for heads of state is 68.
At the Party Congress in October last year, they decided to maintain Xi Jinping’s central role in the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole. This has led to speculation. Some wonder if Xi plans to remain China’s leader for life.
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Big job cuts in the state
During the People’s Congress, the delegates also approved Xi’s master plan for state restructuring. The plan is to cut 5 percent of positions in the state apparatus with the help of technological changes.
The People’s Assembly is scheduled to end on Monday. Then the new state budget must be approved. The budget includes a whopping 7.2 percent increase in the defense budget, and assumes economic growth will be around 5 percent.
The outgoing government’s work reports must also be approved. New Chinese Premier Li is also expected to hold a press conference.
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