Storm, a Taiwan media and BackChina, an overseas Chinese media both carried reports on how Jiang Zemin received different media treatment at the 19th National Congress, which indicates where he stands in Xi Jinping’s eyes. Storm reported that during the closing ceremony, initially Xi Jinping and Jiang Zemin were chatting while waiting for the ceremony to start. However, when everyone rose during the national anthem, Jiang apparently struggled to get up. It was not until two assistants ran over that Jiang was able to stand up. The article stated that Xi did not even look at Jiang during the entire process; whereas, at the 18th National Party Congress, Hu Jintao helped Jiang to get up. In some situations, Jiang was either “accidentally” blocked or completely taken out of the picture. One example was at the opening ceremony. When Xi Jinping bowed and acknowledged Hu Jintao, Jiang Zemin, and the entire conference, Jiang’s image was completely cut off. When Xi led the group of leaders entering the stage, Xi completed blocked Jiang’s image. Also, when Xi finished his report and returned to his seat, CCTV showed a close up image of Xi shaking hands with Hu Jintao who sat to his right. However when Xi shook hands with Jiang, a photographer blocked him. Taiwan Eastern Television reported that when Xi delivered his report and read the part that said, “Whatever the public is against and hates …” it was not a co-incidence that CCTV showed a close up image of Jiang Zemin. The article suggested that Xi Jinping broke a number of political protocols to demonstrate that even though he appears calm and emotionless most of the time, he is in complete control of the current situation.

Source:
1. Storm, October 24, 2017
http://www.storm.mg/article/348992
2. BackChina October 23, 2017
http://www.backchina.com/news/2017/10/23/523065.html

Two articles that Xinhua published detailed the selection process for the new leadership candidates who were voted on during the 19th National Congress. The article gave an indication that, throughout the selection process, Xi Jinping was directly involved in weeding out his opponents. According to the article, the selection process started in February 2016, when a candidate selection committee that Xi Jinping led was first formed. During the process, Xi provided specific guidelines and criteria to use in the candidate selection. The criteria included, as the top priority, that the candidate must “meet political criteria and establish a political standard; the candidate must align himself with the Central Administration and be clear and firm about his political position; he must be clean and free from corruption while fit to get the job done.” From July 2016 through June 2017, the committee set up 46 observation teams to visit 31 provinces, 124 agency central administration agencies, financial institutions, and state owned enterprises to interview potential candidates. The Central Military Commission also formed 10 teams to visit military departments and agencies to talk to potential candidates. In the past year and a half, the candidate selection committee met seven times while the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau met six times to receive updates on candidate selection from the observation team. From April to June of 2017, Xi Jinping personally sat down with 57 existing party leaders to hear their opinions. The Political Bureau and Central Military Commission also set up hundreds of appointments to meet with members from the 18th Central Committee and leaders from a number of military divisions to hear their ideas. On September 25, a preliminary candidate name list was drafted and submitted to the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau. The final list was approved on September 29 before it was turned over to the 19th National Congress for a vote.

Sources: Xinhua, October 24 and 27, 2017
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2017-10/24/c_1121850995.htm
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/19cpcnc/2017-10/26/c_1121860147.htm

The National Security Bureau and the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) of Taiwan confirmed today that Chinese Communist Party representative Lu Lian and her husband’s Taiwan ID registration have been canceled. Lu’s family was quite disappointed after hearing the news. The Taiwanese applauded the action.

Lu Lian was born in Taiwan. She went to China in 1997 to teach in Shanghai. While there, she acquired a Chinese nationality. This year she was elected as a representative of the Communist Party of China. She published a remark affirming she “loves Taiwan and also loves the mainland.” Zhou Meixu, deputy director of the Taiwan National Security Bureau, said that, based on regulations, Lu Lian’s household ID registration has been canceled. Her health insurance and other rights have also been nullified.

Zhou also revealed that Taiwan authorities have confirmed that there are 19 Taiwanese people holding mainland Communist Party and government positions. Some of their canceled ID registrations have not been announced.

Source: Liberty Times (Taiwan) and Yahoo News (Hong Kong), October 26, 2017http://news.ltn.com.tw/news/politics/breakingnews/2234378
https://hk.news.yahoo.com/台灣陸委會證實盧麗安夫婦被取消台灣戶籍-090723729.html

Duowei, a state sponsored Chinese news media, based overseas, reported that the 19th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party is the beginning of a new era. In the 19th Congress report, the Communist Party of China formally introduced the idea of building a “community for the shared future of mankind.” Professor Fang Changping, director of the International Strategy Center of the National Development and Strategic Research Institute of Renmin University of China, said in his interview with Duowei that the report’s most outstanding highlight in the diplomatic section was its innovative ideas. The Communist Party of China is standing at the pinnacle, above humankind, to promote the initiation of such a magnificent goal, that is to promote the development of new international relations — the development of a “community of a shared future for mankind.”

Source: Duowei, October 24, 2017
http://talk.dwnews.com/news/2017-10-24/60019362.htm

Epoch Times published an article in which it reported that Beijing has been extending its control over Foreign Companies in China. It now requires that these companies allow party branch offices to be established within the company and is pushing to grant operational decision making power to the party’s branch office. According to the statistics disclosed during the media conference at the 19th National Congress on the subject of the “party’s development and exercise of strict self-governance in every respect,” by the end of 2016, Chinese Communist Party branch offices had been established in 93.2 percent of 147,000 State Owned Enterprises; 67.9 percent of 2.7 million private companies, and 70 percent of 100,600 foreign companies in China. The article quoted the comments that several China scholars gave. They stated that the party organization might act like a union but its real purpose is to control and supervise how the company operates. One scholar told Epoch Times that, “The party can’t trust anyone. It must have its own people to do supervision. Therefore it must build a party organization everywhere even including temples and religious organizations.” The article also quoted a Reuters news article stating that top management from over 12 European companies gathered in Beijing at the end of July to discuss their concerns about how the party tried to influence the company’s day to day operations. One company manager disclosed that they received political pressure to modify the joint venture contract to include language that allowed the party to have decision making rights in company operations and investment decisions. According to Epoch Times, having the party organization manage the company is in conflict with the theory of a market economy and will eventually force private companies in China to lose their international competitive advantage.

Sources:
1. Epoch Times, October 22, 2017
http://www.epochtimes.com/gb/17/10/22/n9758229.htm
2. China.com, October 19, 2017
http://www.china.com.cn/19da/2017-10/19/content_41758149.htm