The big news from the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party held in October 2022 was that, as widely expected, President Xi Jinping would remain in office for an unprecedented third term. He was said to have surrounded himself with supporters and muffled dissenting voices. But, details were few, and those in the know were cautious rather than forthcoming about sharing the fine points.
Last month, it emerged that Politburo Standing Committee member, Wang Huning, had remained in the Committee and had been promoted up the ladder. His continued presence is not surprising. He has been elevated as the Chairman of the top political advisory body, the CPPCC. He will likely be appointed the deputy director of the Central Leading Group for Taiwan Affairs. It is believed that he has been tasked with laying “the groundwork for Taiwan unification.”
It is no secret that President Xi is keen to forge a legacy that rivals the most celebrated leaders of China. His aggressive foreign policies, expansion of Beijing’s sphere of influence through diplomacy and trade, and stronghold over domestic affairs all point to his desire to leave an indelible mark on the country. Bringing Taiwan back into the fold will be his crowning glory. But few are aware that many of his programs bear Huning’s fingerprints.
Huning is an intrinsic part of Beijing’s political elite though he is rarely in the spotlight. He is considered a highly influential political intellectual and has demonstrated an exceptional ability to work with various leadership factions. Huning has the rare distinction of working with three successive Chinese leaders – Jiang Zemin, Hu Jintao, and Xi Jinping.
The former academic is considered the brain behind many of President Xi’s ambitious plans, including the Belt and Road Initiative, the aggressive anti-corruption campaign, “Common Prosperity,” and the “China Dream.” It is being said that Huning has been tasked with writing a theoretical Taiwan unification strategy that fits President Xi’s vision. In China, philosophy, theory, and “thought” are considered intrinsically intertwined with political action. Often, a shift in policy or actions that cause paradigm shifts stems from a distinct new theory.
In the case of Taiwan, the “One Country, Two Systems” theory proposed and implemented by Deng Xiaoping is now seen as a failure. Taiwan enjoyed liberties and opportunities denied to those on the mainland. The repressive rule of the Communist Party of China (CCP) did little to persuade the Taiwanese to want closer ties with Beijing. The growing pro-democracy sentiment was viewed as a threat by President Xi Jinping. The island attaining full sovereignty and robust democracy would amount to both an insult and a failure in President Xi’s eyes. To curb such hopes, he imposed a new security law that limited press freedom and citizens’ rights. Beijing’s strong-arm tactics have further alienated the Taiwanese from the CCP.
President Xi’s government has pressured the international community to break diplomatic ties with Taipei. Beijing has stated that it would use “any means” to achieve the proposed re-unification and that “military action” is an option. However, political analysts in Asia believe that military action is not imminent, but they concede that Beijing is capable of launching an offensive. Foreign “provocation” is seen as one factor that is fuelling the tension.
The fate of Taiwan now rests in Huning’s hands. He has carefully and methodically distanced himself from the public and media. Once a prolific author, he stopped publishing and public speaking once he joined the Chinese Communist Party regime. One must rely on his works from more than three decades ago to gain insight into his views while allowing for time and experience to have either shifted or cemented them. In one of his most cited essays, “The Structure of China’s Changing Political Culture,” he argued that a country’s culture, values, and attitudes have an equal role as its political arm in shaping its economics, systems, and institutions.
Thirty-five years later, the Chinese regime echoes his views. The CCP is intent on controlling every aspect of life on the mainland. Civil liberties are a threat, and President Xi is pushing “socialism with Chinese characteristics” as he prepares to remain the country’s leader for life.
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Republished with permission from TIPP Insights
