Only two persons in the history of the Communist Party have ever published a "historical resolution." China is waiting to learn if President Xi Jinping will be the country's third ruler.
When the governing party huddles this week in the final big gathering before a twice-decade congress next year, when Xi Jinping is anticipated to break convention and gain a third term to extend his indefinite reign, the first official proclamation on Chinese history in 40 years is slated to top the agenda.
China is set to follow new doctrine
The historical resolves of Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping occurred at important junctures in the nation's trajectory, allowing their authors to control party politics until their final breaths. It would not only place Xi Jinping on a level with those party giants, but it would also herald major shifts in the world's second-largest economy if he released his magnum work, Bloomberg reported.
The sixth plenum, which runs from November 8 to 11, is China's closest thing to a campaign season. Getting the party to support his view of China's past - and future - would be the clearest indication yet that Xi, after almost a decade of purging rivals and promoting national pride, has the power foundation to govern for life.
Per SCMP, historical resolutions are formal accounts of the party's history from its founding in 1921 through the date of publication of the resolution. They discuss major political players, key accomplishments, lessons learned, and policy objectives for the future.
China's leader drafts these decisions, which the Central Committee then debates. Each committee's five-year mandate has seven plenary meetings, and previous resolutions have been published at the sixth plenary session, which focuses on philosophy and party building.
The 19th Central Committee, which was elected in 2017 and will serve until 2022, will lead this year's plenum. The latest resolution would assist in solidifying Xi's leadership while also promoting core party principles such as the Chinese dream, at a time when Xi may have more successes to brag about, according to state media.
The document's title, which refers to "historical experience" rather than the "certain questions" of the party's history addressed by Mao and Deng, suggests that Xi Jinping may avoid modifying or criticizing prior views of the party's history and instead emphasize its successes.
Xi Jinping's historical resolution
This year's plenum will be led by the 19th Central Committee, which was elected in 2017 and will serve until 2022. According to state media, the fresh resolution will help cement Xi's leadership while also promoting basic party concepts such as the Chinese dream, when Xi may have more achievements to boast about.
The title of the text, which refers to "historical experience" rather than the "certain questions" of the party's history addressed by Mao and Deng, implies that Xi Jinping would avoid altering or critiquing earlier views of the party's history and instead focus on its achievements.
The resolution has the potential to transform the Party's experience since the reform and opening-up, especially in the last decade, into the guiding philosophy for China's socialist growth in the next 100 years.
Scholars contend that the new resolution is disclosing and improving the rules of growth in China's new period, rather than rewriting what past resolutions state. In the future attempt, the manifesto also aspires to better connect the Party and the Chinese people, as per CGTN.
