15-21 October 2023

Weekly newsletter tracking high-level policy signals sent by China’s top leaders. For more information, visit About Five Things.

Commentary

There was something gratifying about the five most widely circulated articles in China’s official media last week. In plain sight across three pieces on the just-held Belt and Road conference, one on Xi Jinping’s recent thoughts on culture and one on his meeting with Vladimir Putin was the essence of contemporary China – its practice, its theory and its international outlook.

The Belt and Road pieces were a reminder of what underpins China’s post-Mao development. Its reform and open policies began with export manufacturing and the infrastructure needed to support those exports. That broadened into manufacturing and construction in general. And in turn the Belt and Road scheme followed, with greater trade to more locations and international work for its construction companies.

Now, that scheme is at a turning point, leading to Xi proposing eight actions China is taking to continue its “high-quality” development:

1. Build a multi-dimensional interconnected network along the “Belt and Road”
2. Support the building of an open world economy
3. Carry out practical cooperation
4. Promote green development
5. Promote scientific and technological innovation
6. Support people-to-people exchanges
7. Build a road to integrity
8. Improve the “Belt and Road” international cooperation mechanism

It’s an interesting list, pointing to top officials having had a rethink and coming up with some ideas on changes needed if China is to carry on with a scheme that offers it a lot but whose next ten years will have to be very different from its first ten years.

It’s also a reminder to take China seriously: its planners are recalibrating, pushing for new markets, reining in wasteful expenditures, halting the issuance of loans that will never be repaid. Projects now will be smaller in scale, higher quality and greener. Perhaps there may also be a greater emphasis on partnerships, especially in the Global South.

What’s also noteworthy, though, is the openness on show here that’s lacking in China’s leaders treatment of China. Reading through the article on understanding Xi’s cultural thoughts and there’s nothing to be negotiated: the only correct response is to follow. The theory, so to speak, is settled.

And likewise, in its international ties, the die has been cast – Putin is China’s partner. This is made far clearer than in previous rhetoric. His attendance at the conference “reflects Russia’s support for the joint construction of the ‘Belt and Road’ initiative”, and in return “China supports the Russian people in taking the path of national rejuvenation of their own choice and safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests”.

What makes these articles so satisfying is that everything is there, signalled, clearly:

* China is still advancing, with its Belt and Road continuing to offer possibilities – real ones, that China can work on with many countries from around the world, especially in the Global South.

* Domestically, the main issue is control: there is nothing to be negotiated, just mandatory guidelines that must be followed.

* Here’s the company it wants to keep.

Top-ranked articles for 15-21 October 2023
% = percentage of publications monitored carrying the article

1. Xi Jinping and Peng Liyuan hold welcome banquet for international dignitaries attending 3rd “Belt and Road” International Cooperation Summit Forum
习近平和彭丽媛为出席第三届“一带一路”国际合作高峰论坛的国际贵宾举行欢迎宴会Xinhua News Agency, 17 October 2023
Chinese / Machine translation / 56%

2. Explore the “path of happiness” that benefits all countries and the world
“开拓造福各国、惠及世界的‘幸福路’”Xinhua News Agency, 15 October 2023
Chinese / Machine translation / 48%

3. Xi Jinping attends opening ceremony of third “Belt and Road” International Cooperation Summit Forum, delivers keynote speech
习近平出席第三届“一带一路”国际合作高峰论坛开幕式并发表主旨演讲Xinhua News Agency, 18 October 2023
Chinese / Machine translation / 48%

4. Creating a new culture belonging to our era: In-depth study and understanding of Xi Jinping’s commentary on cultural thoughts
创造属于我们这个时代的新文化——深入学习领会习近平文化思想评述Xinhua News Agency, 15 October 2023
Chinese / Machine translation / 43%

5. Xi Jinping holds talks with Russia’s President Putin
习近平同俄罗斯总统普京会谈Xinhua News Agency, 18 October 2023
Chinese / Machine translation / 41%

For more information about Five Things on China’s Leader’s Minds, visit About Five Things on China’s Leaders’ Minds or email fivethings@bilby.ai