The Chinese Communist Party published a new edition of its rulebook, formally known as Working Procedures for the State Council, last week.
Analysts who obtained copies of the book were somewhat surprised to learn it has been purged of all references to Marxism, Leninism, and even Maoism, the philosophy of party founder Mao Zedong. All that remains is “Xi Jinping Thought” – the ideology of the current Chinese dictator.
Radio Free Asia (RFA) noted on Wednesday that the writings of revered former leaders Jiang Zemin, Hu Jintao, and even Deng Xiaoping – widely credited as the creator of the modern Chinese system, the reformist leader who guided the country into industrial might and prosperity – have been erased as well.
This vigorous editing had the side effect of greatly reducing the size of Working Procedures for the State Council, which now comprises only 43 articles instead of the previous 64.
“Xi Jinping Thought” has been promoted to the status of holy writ by the ambitious dictator, who wants to be seen as the most consequential Chinese leader since Mao – and maybe not just Number Two after the founder.
Xi’s vision of “socialism with Chinese characteristics” is mandatory reading in Chinese schools at all grade levels, and is presented in colleges as a course all on its own – not just as a course on politics, but as though Xi’s writings were great works of literature. The Chinese government in 2019 created a smartphone app that hits users with passages from Xi Jinping Thought every day.
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Xi Jinping Thought was originally presented by the Chinese educational system as a more purified version of Marxism with less “noise” from other philosophies, but with the latest edition of the Communist Party rulebook, it has transcended Marxism to become the official state ideology.
In 2017, Xi Jinping Thought was written into the Chinese constitution as a body of thought on par with Maoism. In the following year, China’s rubber-stamp legislature removed the two-term limit on the Communist Party presidency, clearing the way for Xi to begin his unprecedented third term in power in October 2022.
Xi’s writings demand absolute supremacy over all corners of life for the Chinese Communist Party, which is treated like a family everyone belongs to, and reverence for himself as one of the most important thinkers in Chinese history – on a level not only with Mao, but the legendary sage Confucius. These ideas are significantly at variance with Deng’s notion of opening up by limiting the reach of the Party, and Mao’s distaste for Confucius, whose writings he saw as an obstruction to the Communist revolution.
Xi has consolidated power in a number of ways since securing his third term, including a legislative session in early March that replaced many key officials with hardcore Xi loyalists and gave the Communist Party more direct control over state institutions. At the same time, Xi has evidently delegated his loyalist Premier Li Qiang to reassure foreign businessmen that China is still a safe and welcoming environment for their investments.
RFA noted that in addition to purging references to ideology other than Xi Jinping Thought, the new State Council rulebook centralizes greater power in the Party Central Committee, places the State Council more firmly under Xi’s dictatorial control, and eliminates all mention of “administration according to law, seeking truth from facts, democracy, openness, pragmatism and integrity.”