Xi Jinping has stressed the need to oppose pro-independence reforms in Taiwan, as he closes the National People’s Congress (NPC), after a week in which the country’s rubber-stamp parliament handed China’s president an unprecedented third presidential term, and key roles at the top of the government were reshuffled.
Xi closed the session with a speech to the gathered delegates. On Friday he secured his place as China’s most powerful leader in generations in a carefully choreographed ceremony in Beijing.
In his speech on Monday, Xi called for greater economic self-reliance and the peaceful development of cross-strait relations with Taiwan.
On Saturday, Li Qiang, a longtime Xi ally, was promoted to premier, the second most powerful position in the Chinese Communist party. The former Shanghai Communist party boss replaced Li Keqiang who stepped down after two five-year terms.
Li Qiang is scheduled to hold a televised media conference later on Monday.
Across the slate of other appointments, there were fewer changes than anticipated, with most cabinet ministers keeping their posts.
Xi has been installing allies in key roles in the government reshuffle, but broke with convention to retain Yi Gang as governor of the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) and Liu Kun as finance minister. Both men have reached, or passed, the official retirement age of 65.
“Opting for continuity in these critical economic roles suggests an emphasis on credibility and stability,” said Mattie Bekink, China director at the Economist Intelligence Corporate Network.
“It is also perhaps a tacit acknowledgment of some of the challenges for Beijing at the moment,” she said. “The real challenge for this third Xi administration is whether it will address structural imbalances in China’s economy and undertake reforms necessary to ensure China’s long-term competitiveness.”
The government has set a 2023 economic growth target of about 5%, up from 3% last year, which was among the weakest performances in decades.
Reuters contributed to this report
