BEIJING (AP) – President Xi Jinping on Monday urged China to play a bigger role in managing global affairs after Beijing achieved a diplomatic coup to host talks leading to an agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran to resume maintained diplomatic relations.
Xi gave no details of the ruling Communist Party’s plans in a speech to China’s ceremonial legislature. But Beijing has become increasingly assertive since taking power in 2012, calling for changes in the International Monetary Fund and other bodies that allegedly do not reflect the wishes of developing countries.
China should “actively participate in reforming and building the global system of governance” and promote “global security initiatives,” said Xi, the country’s most powerful leader in decades.
It will “bring positive energy to world peace and development,” Xi said.
On Friday, Xi was re-elected to another term in the ceremonial presidency, after breaking with tradition in October and giving himself a third five-year term as secretary-general of the ruling party, in a bid to make leaders for life become.
The National People’s Congress on Sunday cemented Xi’s dominance by endorsing the appointment of his cronies as prime minister and other government leaders in a 10-year rotation. Xi has sidelined potential rivals and loaded the ruling party’s top echelons with his supporters.
New premier Li Qiang tried to reassure businessmen on Monday but gave no details on possible plans to improve conditions after the Xi government spent the last decade building state-owned enterprises covering banks, energy, steel, Control telecommunications and other industries.
Li’s comments echoed promises made by other Chinese leaders over the past six months to support entrepreneurs who create jobs and wealth. They have vowed to simplify regulations and taxes but have given no indication that they want to rein in state-owned companies complained about by entrepreneurs who rob them of their profits.
The ruling party will “treat enterprises of all types of ownership equally” and “support the development and growth of private enterprises,” Li said.
“Our senior cadres at all levels must seriously care about and serve private companies,” he said.
Chinese officials earlier warned that crackdowns on monopolies and data security, which have eroded tens of billions of dollars in the stock market value of e-commerce giant Alibaba Group and other tech companies, would end. But in February, entrepreneurs were rocked again when a star banker who played a leading role in tech deals disappeared. Bao Fan’s company said he was “cooperating with an investigation,” but gave no details.
Li said Beijing will prioritize job creation as it tries to revive economic growth, which fell to 3% last year, the second-lowest level in decades. This year’s official growth target is “around 5%”.
The prime minister expressed confidence that China can cope with the decline in its workforce. The number of potential workers aged 15 to 59 has fallen by more than 5% since its peak in 2011, an unusually sharp drop for a middle-income country.
Li said that while China is losing its “demographic dividend” in young workers, better education means it is getting a “talent dividend.” He said about 15 million more people enter the labor market every year.
“The abundant human resources are still China’s outstanding advantage,” he said.
Abroad, Beijing has also built on China’s growing weight as the second-biggest economy to spur trade and construction initiatives that Washington, Tokyo, Moscow and New Delhi fear will stretch their strategic clout as they expand.
These include the multibillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative to build ports, railroads and other trade-related infrastructure in an arc of countries from the South Pacific through Asia to Africa and Europe. China also promotes trade and security initiatives.
The Xi government rocked the United States and Australia in early 2022 when it signed an accord with the Solomon Islands that would allow Chinese naval vessels and security forces to be based in the South Pacific nation.
Foreign Minister Qin Gang last week warned Washington of possible “conflict and confrontation” if the United States does not change course in relations marred by conflicts over Taiwan, human rights, Hong Kong, security and technology.
Xi called for faster technology development and more self-reliance in a speech brimming with nationalist terms on Monday. He referred eight times to “national rejuvenation,” or restoring China’s rightful place as an economic, cultural and political leader.
He said that before the ruling party took power in 1949, China was “reduced to a semi-colonial, semi-feudal country subject to foreign bullying.”
“We have finally washed away national humiliation, and the Chinese people are masters of their own destiny,” Xi said. “The Chinese nation has risen, grown rich, and grown strong.”
Xi also urged the country to “steadfastly pursue the goal of “national reunification,” a reference to Beijing’s claim that Taiwan, the self-governing island democracy, is part of its territory and obligated to unite with China by force is necessary.