The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) unpredictability is increasing and the “gray area” in its cross-strait policy is being reduced as its National People’s Congress (NPC) and Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference’s (CPPCC) National Committee meetings consolidate Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) authority and the party’s control over the state, a report by Taiwan’s National Security Bureau (NSB) said.
The report, which has been sent to the Legislative Yuan ahead of NSB Director-General Tsai Ming-yen’s (蔡明彥) presentation to the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee tomorrow, said that Chinese Premier Li Qiang’s (李強) report at the opening of China’s NPC earlier this week showed that the State Council, which coordinates China’s government ministries, is to play the role of enforcing party orders and upholding Xi’s authority.
The Organic Law of the State Council was also amended to grant the party a further legal basis for it “to lead the state,” the NSB report said, adding that China had also scrapped the premier’s press conference this year that is usually held at the end of each NPC.
Photo: Reuters
The report cited critics as saying that these moves would inevitably strengthen Xi’s hold over the party and make Chinese politics even more closed off.
Despite facing inflation and the bursting of a housing bubble, China is determined to pump more money into its military spending and is working ever more closely with Russia to increase geopolitical risk in the Indo-Pacific region, the report said.
With the US elections set for November, China is stepping up efforts to reinforce its “one China” principle and change the “status quo” by stepping up military, diplomatic, economic and legal pressure against Taiwan, it added.
China is also trying to invite various Taiwanese groups to visit China with a aim to influence them with “united front” rhetoric, the report said.
On the US presidential election, Tsai said in the report that incumbent Joe Biden and his front-running opponent, Donald Trump, see China as a challenger to the US.
Regardless of who wins the election, the US strategy to continue to support Taiwan and contain China would not significantly change, the report added.
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