Irish Examiner View: Some worrying trends in China

The worrying jingoism of Chinese nationalism is something the world has to contend with.

China's president Xi Jinping has packed the Communist Party’s top tiers with staunch allies. Picture: Selim Chtayti/Pool Photo via AP

As the 2,296 delegates filed out of the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Sunday, they were left to grapple with the thought that party leader Xi Jinping now has untrammelled power within the country and its broad sphere of influence.

Delegates had witnessed a congress in which established powerbrokers were removed from their positions and a completely new politburo — chosen by Xi as he packed the Communist Party’s top tiers with staunch allies and long-time proteges. 

They also witnessed Xi begin a norm-shattering third term as the country’s leader, the first person since Mao Zedong to do so.

The recalibrations seen at the congress are widely believed to have seen an unprecedented consolidation of power on Xi’s behalf which strengthened his overall control and tightened his grip on the future of his country. 

Indeed, China is now, more than at any time in recent decades, in the control of one man with minimal wriggle room at the apex of power for dissent or policy recalibration.

China’s long-stated aim of “national rejuvenation” — a curious ambition given the country’s massive prosperity over the last 30 years — and a long-stated aim of reclaiming its rightful place in world affairs is, according to Xi himself, a path potentially beset by “high winds, choppy waters, or even dangerous storms” and growing challenges stemming from “a grim and complex international situation”.

The worrying jingoism of Chinese nationalism and an increasingly fearsome defence of the country’s stated national interests is something the world has to contend with as Xi sets forth on his third term, surrounded by yes-men and lackeys.

Citizens of Hong Kong have already witnessed at first-hand the ruthlessness of China’s ‘national interests’ and those in the disputed territory of Taiwan are fearful they will receive the same treatment if they are to be annexed by their dominant neighbour. 

There is no doubt that what Xi decides to do next could have a profound impact on world affairs.