The Congress of the Communist Party in China planned to chart a new path for the country

SCOTT SIMON, EDITOR:

While the Republican Party held its convention in Milwaukee, this week, the ruling Communist Party of China held its important convention in Beijing. Party leaders have come together to chart a course for China’s development and improvement in the next five years. NPR’s John Ruwitch is in Beijing. John, thank you so much for being with us.

JOHN RUWITCH, OUTSIDE: I’m glad to do it.

SIMON: Who is there?

RUWITCH: That’s right. This was a meeting of the Central Committee which makes the rules of the Communist Party. So that’s over 200 officers or more. There are also about 170 votes. It is a staid affair held in secret. And when it was over, we got the first glimpse through the media of what everyone had agreed on and what the priorities were. It ended on Thursday, as did the RNC, and a split-screen version of the Republican primary would have been more powerful.

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HULK HOGAN: Enough. And I said, when Trump-a-mania runs rampant, brother.

RUWITCH: It’s not Beijing. That’s retired pro wrestler Hulk Hogan of Wisconsin about to rip off his shirt at the RNC. In fact, at the same time it was happening, this event was playing in Beijing.

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UNIDENTIFIED MAN: (Through translator) Change will be best in the areas where people have the highest concerns and expectations.

RUWITCH: These are the interpretation officers who explain the decisions of the Grand Committee. I have to tell you that it was a very nice word, and it’s hard to understand at this point what it means in practice, or what it will mean. But if the RNC, you know, was about the vision of fixing America’s problem, that’s kind of what the Central Committee was doing, ultimately, talking about reforming China.

SIMON: What came out of the party meeting?

RUWITCH: No, it was a big bag of promises. There was – it was everything from a commitment to promoting high-level economic development to controlling the site to radical changes and education. However, everything was unclear. What was clear was that they supported Xi Jinping’s vision of the country’s future, in which security and economic development go hand in hand, and they advocated a stronger role for the party in guiding the economy.

China’s economy is in big trouble, isn’t it? GDP growth came in last week, lower than expected in the second quarter. Usage is limited. Deflation is dangerous. There is a huge debt problem. There is a real estate crisis. These problems continue. There was a verbal speech at the meeting of the Central Committee to all major economic problems, but we did not see concrete or immediate measures. However, we expect to hear more details in the coming days.

SIMON: Both Donald Trump and his running mate, Senator JD Vance, have had harsh words about China. What does Beijing’s response seem to be?

RUWITCH: That’s right. Beijing, first of all, doesn’t like Trump or Biden, to be honest. While Trump and Vance have gained prominence, however, China has loomed large at the RNC. It was speech after speech. And Vance, in fact, in one of his first interviews after being named Trump’s partner, called China America’s, quote, “the biggest threat.”

Now, the official announcement from the Central Committee meeting this week in Beijing made no mention of the United States. That is to be expected. China is neutral in the election. They are keeping official comments about the election on the down low, probably so there is no return. But in recent years, China’s position on the US policy towards it is very clear. They accused the US of trying to hinder China’s development, of trying to surround China and try to stop it.

SIMON: What about the Taiwan question, which is certainly at the heart of US concerns?

RUWITCH: That’s right. Taiwan is fascinating. President Biden has said many times, directly, that he will help Taiwan defend itself. JD Vance has also been very clear in the past, saying that the United States needs to help defend Taiwan from a Chinese attack because of all the microchips made in Taiwan. They are very important to the American economy.

Trump was a bit of a mess. There was an interview with Bloomberg published last week where he did not commit to defending Taiwan. In fact, he questioned why the US should defend Taiwan at all and said that Taiwan should pay us if it wants help with defense. It’s hard to know if that will translate into policy, but if the Chinese government senses any reluctance from Trump or the US president to defend Taiwan, maybe it will see an opportunity, right? And no one thinks that Taiwan can repel a Chinese invasion on its own.

SIMON: NPR’s John Ruwitch from Beijing. Thank you so much for being with us.

RUWITCH: Thank you.

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