President Xi Jinping Delivers Work Report to Open 19th Party Congress

President Xi Jinping delivered a three-hour long speech to open the 19th National Party Congress on October 18. Party Congresses occur every five years in China and are significant in that the Party Constitution is amended, nominations for top leadership including the Standing Committee of the Politburo are approved, and the Party’s work report is delivered.
 
The work report is critical in laying out key overarching government priorities and themes, as well as policy initiatives moving into Party General Secretary and President Xi’s second term. President Xi emphasized Chinese strength as a key theme throughout his speech stating that China strives to be a “technological superpower, quality superpower, aerospace superpower, internet superpower, transport superpower, digitalized country, and an intelligent society.” On security, the work report calls for comprehensive management of external and internal security as well as “determined defense of China’s sovereignty, security, and development interests”. In discussing the need for leadership in ideological work, the report calls for “strengthening the construction of Internet content, establish comprehensive network governance systems, and create a clear and crisp cyber space.”
 
China will also continue to accelerate the development of advanced manufacturing sectors and unlock the economic potential of the Internet, big data, and artificial intelligence. The construction of an innovative country remains a primary political priority.