President Xi Jinping
Beijing, Hong Kong … News Time
The Chinese Communist Party has announced a set of long-term goals, but no possible successor to President Xi Jinping has been identified. A statement issued on Thursday after the four-day meeting of the party’s top officials outlined a five-year basic economic policy from 2021. According to the statement, China aims to increase domestic demand and implement structural reforms in the supply chain in order to shift its dependence on exports. The statement also outlined long-term goals for 2035. These include increasing per capita GDP to the level of moderately developed countries. It added that China would strive to become a world leader in innovation. However, it did not mention a possible successor to President Xi, suggesting that he would remain party leader in 2022, even after the end of his term.
On the other hand, a local court in Hong Kong has for the first time indicted a leading pro-democracy activist using a controversial security law made by China. According to media reports, the charges against 19-year-old Tony Chung led to the pro-democracy activist Hong Kong’s attempt to secede from China. He was arrested near the US consulate in Hong Kong before being charged. The local judiciary also charged Tony Chung with money laundering and publishing material that spreads chaos. Authorities in Hong Kong have the power to use security laws developed by the Chinese government to prosecute local suspects. It may be recalled that in June 2019, a bill was introduced in the Assembly by the Hong Kong administration. It was proposed that China hand over the wanted suspects to Beijing. The controversial bill was followed by large-scale protests that lasted for several months. Meanwhile, the chief executive knelt down in front of the protesters and withdrew the controversial bill and later declared it null and void under intense pressure. However, the protests did not abate and violent protests continued at various times.
