Xi Jinping: 2014 year in review

The term gained ground in China when President Xi was during his inspection tour in Central China’s Henan Province in May, 2014. In his speech delivered at the APEC CEO Summit on November 9, Xi, for the first time ever, sketched out a full picture of Chinese economy’s “new normal.”

“A new normal of China’s economy has emerged with several notable features,” the President said. First, the economy has shifted gear from the previous high speed to a medium-to-high speed growth. Second, the economic structure is constantly improved and upgraded. Third, the economy is increasingly driven by innovation instead of input and investment, he added.

The leading group for overall reform, headed by President Xi Jinping, has promoted reform in many areas this year, such as approving a framework for pilot programs of judicial reform, passing a proposal on the requirement and tasks for China’s legislative works, and a report on the reform of economic and bio-ecological systems.

The leading group, set up on December 30, 2013, is committed to research and decide major guidelines, policies and schemes for systematic reforms in economic, political, cultural, social and environmental fields, as well as the Party system. It has six sub-groups for reforms in six areas, including economy and ecology, democracy and law, culture, social, Party building and discipline inspection.

Xi appealed to adhere to an overall national security outlook and explore a “national security path with Chinese characteristics,” while chairing the first meeting of national security commission on April 15, 2014.

To implement the overall national security outlook, China must attach importance to both external and internal security. Domestically, China will pursue development, reform, stability and foster a safe environment, Xi said. Externally, the country will seek to achieve peace, cooperation, win-win situations and a harmonious world, he said.

Xi also said China will build a national security system that covers the spheres of politics, territory, military, economy, culture, society, science and technology, information, ecology, nuclear, and natural resources. China will not only pay attention to its own security, but also to mutual security, he added.

Xi said that the coordinated development of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei is a national strategy of great significance at a symposium on February 26 in Beijing. Xi said that integrated development should be based on the comparative advantages and modern industrial divisions of each region, and that it must seek cooperation and win-win situations.

In order to promote the integrated development, the State Council established the leading group of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei coordinated development program in August, with Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli as the group leader.

President Xi Jinping said on August 18, 2014, that China will build several new-type media groups that are strong, influential and credible.

Traditional media and new media must complement each other, and their integration should cover content, channels, platforms, operations and management, Xi said. Integration should be supported by technology and follow communication rules and laws governing the development of new media.

Rule of law, the policy adopted at the fourth plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Committee on October 23, 2014, stresses the supreme authority of the Constitution, and promises sweeping changes to the judicial system.

The CPC leadership is the fundamental protector of rule of law, and the Constitution is the fundamental law. Government officials must now pledge their allegiance to the Constitution before taking office.

Xi said the Party must comprehensively promote rule of law to build a well-off society, to deepen reform and to achieve the Chinese dream of a rejuvenated nation.

The decision was drafted by a group headed by Xi and his two deputies, Zhang Dejiang, top legislator, and Wang Qishan, secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the CPC.

When addressing the third plenary session of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection on January 14, 2014, President Xi stressed zero tolerance of graft and promised to seriously punish every corrupt official caught.

As of November, nearly 40 officials above the provincial level have been removed from their posts, such as the ex-security chief Zhou Yongkang and former military leader Xu Caihou. The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection set three rounds of inspections this year. The first two rounds inspected 20 provinces, regions and autonomous cities, as well as six organizations, revealing corruptions mainly on construction projects and land development. The third round started in late November for 13 state organizations, including the Culture Ministry, China State Shipbuilding Corporation, China Unicom and Sinopec.

China also increased its efforts in catching fled officials. The “Fox Hunt 2014” operation has so far seized 396 suspects allegedly involved in economic crimes in 58 countries and regions.

“Efforts should be made to build our country into a cyber power,” Xi said at the meeting of the central Internet security and informatization leading group on February 27, 2014.

In Xi’s view, building a cyber power calls for domestically developed technology, rich and comprehensive information services, a prosperous cyber culture, sound infrastructure, high-caliber talent working in Internet security and information, as well as international cooperation.

The establishment of the central Internet security and informatization leading group, with President Xi Jinping being the leader, indicates the leadership’s determination to protect Internet security, preserve national interests and push forward the development of information technology.

Chinese President Xi Jinping on March 15 stressed that the country’s military reform should be guided by the objective of building a strong army during the first plenary meeting of a leading group for deepening reform on national defense and the armed forces.

With “being able to combat and win battles” as the focus, Xi said the reform should target key problems in strengthening combat preparedness and weak links in honing combat effectiveness. Reform of the commanding system, power structure and related policies should be advanced to support the consolidation of national defense and the building of strong armed forces, according to Xi.

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has launched a series of exercises this year. A two-month exercise, named Kuayue-2014 Zhurihe, kicked off in June in North China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. According to reports of Hong Kong based Wen Wei Po, live-fire military exercises were conducted in waters of East China Sea, Bohai Sea, the Yellow Sea and South China Sea ahead of August 1, China’s Army Day.

“Artists should not lose themselves in the tide of the market economy nor go astray while answering the question of ‘whom to serve’…Socialist culture and art is, in essence, the culture and art of the people,” Xi said at a symposium on October 15, 2014, attended by some of the country’s most renowned writers, actors, playwrights and dancers in Beijing.

Xi called on artists to produce works that “disseminate contemporary Chinese values, embody traditional Chinese culture, reflect the Chinese people’s aesthetic pursuits, and are intellectual.”

Art should also have patriotism as its main theme and foster “correct viewpoints” of history, nationality and culture, according to Xi.