Global impact | China celebrates Deng Xiaoping, but how has ‘true heir’ Xi Jinping taken up the reins?
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Since the death of Chinese paramount leader Deng Xiaoping in 1997, China has been holding high-profile events to commemorate his birthday every 10 years.
In 2004, China went big to mark the centenary of Deng’s birthday, including the unveiling of a bronze statue in his hometown of Guang’an, a grand concert by 200 pianists in Shenzhen and a documentary about his achievements.
A high-level symposium was chaired by then-president Hu Jintao, who made a detailed account of Deng’s achievements in line with protocol, and made use of the occasion to rally support for his leadership.
The second such symposium was held by President Xi Jinping 10 years ago in the Great Hall of People in Beijing, where he also gave a long speech to commemorate Deng.
Although there was nothing surprising from Xi’s speech at the time, there were already discussions among overseas China watchers about whether Xi was mimicking Deng or Mao Zedong.
After only two years in office, Xi had already shown some signs of assertive leadership, taking down powerful officials in his anti-corruption campaign and forming many leading groups that put him personally in charge of many realms of governance.
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Why Deng Xiaoping is one of China’s most consequential leaders
Why Deng Xiaoping is one of China’s most consequential leaders
While 10-year anniversaries are occasions for the commemoration of an important event or a person in Chinese tradition, the 120th anniversary does not stand out from the rest.
But how Xi celebrated Deng and related himself to the former leader’s legacy this year attracted considerably more attention than the event from 10 years ago.
Especially after Xi secured a precedent-breaking third term as the country’s president last year, there have been many discussions outside China, and private conversations among those within, about whether Xi has deviated from Deng’s policies.
People who hold this view often cite the outsized role of state enterprises and the notion of “common prosperity”, interpreted by many as asking private entrepreneurs to share their revenues with the government. These are compared to Deng’s call to honour the market economy and private entrepreneurs by “letting a small group of people get rich first”.
Others contrast the rise of “wolf warrior” diplomacy and the public display of China’s military and technological might during Xi’s tenure with Deng’s theory that China should “hide its strengths and bide its time” in its diplomatic relations.
There are also discussions about whether the concentration of power under Xi has deviated from norms set by Deng delegating power to a collective of leaders.
From Xi’s point of view, however, he has not deviated from Deng’s legacy. Instead, he wants to be seen as someone who has carried Deng’s vision forward, and ultimately achieved goals the two share.
Since March, state media have rolled out articles calling Xi a “reformer”, rhetoric intended to put Xi on a par with Deng.
The official Xinhua News Agency published a 10,000 word article to expand on the theme, last month, coinciding with the third plenum of the Communist Party’s Central Committee.
How Xi interprets Deng’s legacy – and uses it to justify the bold steps he has taken – is being watched closely by many observers.
Such a message could be gleaned from Xi’s speech last week, in which he called for “national rejuvenation” as the best way to carry forward Deng’s legacy.
Xi also said it was essential to understand the “spirit” behind Deng’s theories and adapt them to changing situations, a veiled reference to current policies which may be perceived as a break from the past.
What should be changed, we should change unswervingly, what shouldn’t be changed, we should not change
Xi emphasised how Deng had vowed to safeguard socialism in China after “political turmoil” in 1989, referring to the Tiananmen Square protests, and said Deng had never ruled out the possibility of unifying Taiwan by force.
“What should be changed, we should change unswervingly, what shouldn’t be changed, we should not change,” Xi said.
But Xi will face many new challenges, public sentiment being one of them.
In Deng’s time, the introduction of the market economy brought a sense of optimism about the opportunities ahead, even though income levels were low at the time.
Now, a laboured recovery means public confidence in the economy and their future is low, as reflected in the slow retail market, and the tang ping, or “lying flat”, attitude of younger generations.
Deng, though he held absolute power, has remained a popular figure internationally, but China during Xi’s time has been seen as a threat by many Western countries.
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