Chinese see bright future with Xi’s election
Print Edition
AS a leader who has led China to historic achievements during the past five years, Xi Jinping was elected president again on Saturday amid high expectations.
Both by a unanimous vote, Xi was elected president and chairman of the Central Military Commission of the People’s Republic of China at the ongoing first session of the 13th National People’s Congress.
“The result is in line with the will of the people,” said Liu Jiaqi, a farmer from Chongqing Municipality, and one of the 2,970 national lawmakers who cast their votes at the Great Hall of the People.
He said that Xi’s effort in poverty alleviation has transformed his hometown Muhe Village from nowhere to a destination for recreational agriculture featuring apple picking and sightseeing.
“The country worked out a detailed poverty relief timetable, and has been pushing ahead with rural industries,” he said. “Under the leadership of President Xi, our farmers can expect a better life in the years to come.”
During the past five years, Xi has once again called on the Communist Party of China to strive for a “better life” for the people.
Over that period, China has seen its economy expand to more than 82 trillion yuan (US$13 trillion) from 54 trillion yuan, with the per capita disposable income growing by 7.3 percent year on year in real terms.
More than 68.5 million people had been lifted out of poverty in five years, and the middle-income population has reached 400 million and is still growing.
Jiang Peng, a government worker in the Shizhu Tujia Autonomous County of Chongqing, spent his morning sitting in front of the TV on Saturday.
“I was excited to see the election result and President Xi taking an oath to the Constitution,” he said. “He is a charismatic leader with a strong sense of responsibility.”
Jiang’s hometown, once underdeveloped, tucked away in mountains, has seen significant changes. "We have more money in our pockets. Many of my families and friends have cars, which was unimaginable years ago,“ he said.
The county was connected by high speed rail and had its first cinema and high-end supermarket opened in recent years. “We seldom ate seafood before, but now we can buy seafood fresh from the supermarket any time we want,” he said.
Jiang hopes that the leadership will do more to stabilize rising house prices.
Reform has been high on Xi’s agenda over the past five years.
The Central Leading Group for Deepening Overall Reform, headed by Xi, introduced more than 1,500 measures, including supply-side structural reform, and cutting government red tape and bureaucracy to encourage middle and small-sized businesses.
“It has been a golden time for businessmen, and I am glad to see that it continues to be so,” said Li Xiang, general manager of Huaxing North Automotive Trading Company located in Tianjin.
“I can clearly feel President Xi’s concern about entrepreneurs,” he said. In 2017, the country issued a guideline encouraging entrepreneurship, which touched him deeply.
“During the past five years China has put much emphasis on entrepreneurship, and measures such as streamlining government administration have created a good environment for business,” Li said.
Zeng Dexiang, chairman of Guangdong-based optical instrument company Bosma Corp, said that thanks to the country’s push in supply-side reform and innovation-driven growth, his company had upgraded its products and opened a joint venture in Silicon Valley in 2015.
“The leadership’s toughness in cracking down on corruption has also been a boost for the entrepreneurial environment,” he said. “More transparency and less under-the-table deals have greatly improved efficiency.”
Over the past five years, Xi’s drastic anti-corruption drive has transformed public life. Every corner of the system was examined, leading to the punishment of over 1.5 million officials in five years.
“The political environment is healthier and ordinary people have more confidence in officials,” said Hong Jincheng, a local disciplinary official of Quanzhou City in Fujian Province.
Hong looks forward to more anti-corruption efforts, especially at the grassroots level, with the election of Xi.
Chinese people are finding the air and the water cleaner, too.
The NPC adopted an institutional restructuring plan on Saturday, that sets up or reorganizes ministries, including a new and more powerful ministry of ecological environment.
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