Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za

3 min read | 10:38 pm CAT

In this week’s Asia Pacific Report with Radio Islam International Senior Research Fellow at Institute for Global Dialogue, Senusha Naidu focuses on the 20th Chinese Communist Party Congress.

The Chinese Communist Party Congress occurs twice a decade when there is a leadership change. Taking place in Beijing, It is the most significant story dominating global news as the leadership and governance issues are being discussed at the Congress. Xi Jinping’s third term of the presidency will affect the global economy and diplomacy.

Under Xiaoping, the next milestone is the 2049 hundred-year celebration of China’s independence. Naidu said the President’s vision is to create a total socialist Chinese State.

According to Naidu, China is the second-largest economy in the world. In the global and domestic context, China will make essential leadership decisions and changes to its internal party structures.

She said one of the changes would come in the body of The Politburo Standing Committee of, which Jinping Chairs, but also in terms of how he manages to bring in more aligned individuals within the Politburo Standing Committee.

Adding, “The biggest issue around here is going to be about the trajectory that will impact policy as the Chinese State goes forward.”

China is lauded for its poverty reduction policies. However, in the speech the President made in the report, Naidu said it is sensed that inequality is critical to address.

“This is an important Congress as it is not just about China’s domestic environment. It is also about how China’s leadership and governance will affect the world in terms of relationships,” she added.

The US-China standoff is very critical, and there have been veiled statements made in the political report about how progressive and successful the Chinese have been since the last Congress 10 years ago.

Meanwhile, Naidu said the critical issues discussed thus far, including the economy, are crucial as China is not growing as much as it should be. The questions of inequality and corruption have come up a lot.

Listen below to the Asia Pacific Report with Moulana Sulaimaan Ravat and Senusha Naidu on Radio Islam’s podcast.