China's Top Decision Makers Pledge Personal Loyalty to Xi Vision

• December 27 2017
• Ting Shi

China’s leading policy makers each vowed to implement President Xi Jinping’s agenda two months after he mapped out an ambitious three-decade vision for the country.

China’s leading policy makers each vowed to implement President Xi Jinping’s agenda two months after he mapped out an ambitious three-decade vision for the country.

The priority for all members of the ruling Communist Party’s Politburo is to “aggressively” and “comprehensively” carry out tasks set out at the party congress in October, Xi said at the two-day meeting that ended Dec. 26, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. He said implementation of the policies would be seen as “a political benchmark.”

Each of the 25 Politburo members made a speech at the meeting in which they reflected on their own performance and pledged loyalty to the overall mission, according to a statement issued by Xinhua.

“Words are not enough while actual actions are needed,” Xi was quoted by Xinhua as saying. “Holding meetings and handing out papers are not enough while actual implementation is needed.”

Xi cemented his grip on power at the party’s twice-a-decade leadership reshuffle, when he outlined a road map for China to become a leading global power by 2050. He’s also seeking to focus on the quality of growth for the world’s second biggest economy in his second term.

At a key economic meeting last week, policy makers unveiled a three-year strategy to tackle financial risk, pollution and poverty, while maintaining high-quality growth.

Xi on Tuesday called on Politburo members to set an example of self-discipline and to avoid granting privileges to their family members and close aides. His sweeping anti-corruption campaign has brought down former Politburo members, including Sun Zhengcai and Guo Boxiong.

Xi also urged the elite party body to have “a strong sense of urgency” while warning of “barriers and risks” both at home and abroad, according to the statement. Senior officials should also take the lead to “solve the most difficult problems,” he said.