Xi casts Communist Party as key to steering China through ‘high winds, rough seas’

Xi casts Communist Party as key to steering China through ‘high winds, rough seas’ In a speech on Wednesday (Jul 1) marking the Communist Party’s 105th anniversary, Chinese President Xi Jinping also reaffirmed Beijing’s long-standing goal of reunification with Taiwan. BEIJING: China's Communist Party must be better prepared for mounting risks even while staying the course on key long-term goals, President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday (Jul 1), as he cast the party as best placed to guide the country through an increasingly turbulent world. In a speech marking the party's 105th anniversary, Xi said the world had entered "a new period of turbulence and transformation" and urged the party to prepare for "high winds, rough seas and even perilous storms". At the same time, Xi, who is the party’s general secretary, said its enduring strengths would enable it to navigate future challenges. While the Chinese leader did not refer to any specific conflict or country, his remarks come as China implements its 15th Five-Year Plan amid domestic economic headwinds, wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, and intensifying strategic competition with the United States. In his roughly 40-minute speech, Xi also reaffirmed Beijing’s long-standing goal of reunification with Taiwan, pledged to uphold the "one country, two systems" framework in Hong Kong and Macau, and called for military modernisation and anti-corruption efforts to be sustained. THE PARTY’S ENDURING ROLE Speaking at the Great Hall of the People in the heart of Beijing, Xi portrayed the Communist Party's 105-year record of overcoming challenges as proof of its ability to steer China through a more uncertain world. He highlighted six key qualities, including the party’s pursuit of truth, close ties with the people, willingness to struggle and commitment to self-reform. "The reason the Communist Party of China has been able to continuously create glory over 105 years of struggle, and the reason history and the people have chosen the Communist Party, fundamentally lies in the outstanding qualities our party possesses that no other political party or political force can match," Xi said. He called those traits the "key code" behind "why the Communist Party can succeed", saying the party must continue to carry them forward to ensure it never changes its nature, conviction or character. Looking ahead, Xi said party members must "strengthen confidence and continue the struggle", warning that China was entering a period in which "strategic opportunities coexist with risks and challenges" and "uncertainty and unpredictable factors are increasing". China’s Communist Party had around 101 million members at the end of 2025, a rough 1 million increase from the previous year, according to official data released on Tuesday. In his Wednesday speech, Xi described it as the world's largest ruling party with significant global influence. ADVANCING CORE GOALS On national security, Xi called for advancing military modernisation and reaffirmed the party's absolute leadership over the People's Liberation Army, saying China must stay on course to build a world-class military and achieve its centenary military goals. "A strong country must have a strong military, and only a strong military can safeguard national security," Xi said, adding that China must "resolutely safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests" while making greater contributions to world peace and development. Xi is chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), the body that commands China's armed forces. On Taiwan, Xi reiterated Beijing's long-standing position on reunification, while repeating China’s firm opposition to Taiwan independence and "external interference". China views Taiwan as its territory. "We must thoroughly implement the party's overall strategy for resolving the Taiwan question in the new era, uphold the one-China principle and the 1992 Consensus ... and firmly advance the cause of national reunification," he said. The Chinese leader also reaffirmed Beijing’s commitment to the "one country, two systems" framework in Hong Kong and Macau. Xi said Beijing would continue to implement the principles of "Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong", "Macau people administering Macau" and a high degree of autonomy, while upholding the principle that “patriots” administer both special administrative regions. TIGHTENING PARTY DISCIPLINE In his Wednesday speech, Xi also underscored the importance of party discipline and self-reform, themes that have underpinned his leadership since he took power in 2012. Calling self-reform one of the Communist Party's defining strengths, Xi said the party must continuously strengthen itself to ensure it remains fit to govern. "We must resolutely eliminate all factors that harm the party's advanced nature and purity, and eliminate all viruses that erode the party's healthy body," Xi said. "Full and strict party self-governance is always on the road,” he added, indicating that this goal remained an ongoing task. Xi also called for the party to "resolutely fight the tough, protracted and overall battle against corruption". The Chinese leader has made fighting corruption a key priority, with a sweeping campaign that has widened in recent years to target senior officials and executives across the military, finance, healthcare and other strategic sectors. The campaign has already ensnared a string of high-profile officials. In the military alone, implicated senior figures include Zhang Youxia, the first-ranked CMC vice chairman, former CMC vice-chair He Weidong and ex-defence ministers Li Shangfu and Wei Fenghe.