BEIJING — Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Sunday called for faster military development and announced no change in policies that have strained relations with Washington and tightened the ruling Communist Party's control over society and the economy.
China's most influential figure in decades spoke as the party opened a congress that was closely watched by companies, governments, and the public for signs of official direction. It comes amid a painful slump in the world's second-largest economy and tension with Washington and Asian neighbors over trade, technology, and security.
The party's military wing, the People's Liberation Army, needs to"safeguard China's dignity and core interests," Xi said, referring to a list of territorial claims and other issues over which Beijing says it is ready to go to war. The congress will name a Standing Committee, the ruling inner circle of power. The lineup will indicate who is likely to succeed Premier Li Keqiang as the top economic official and take other posts when China's ceremonial legislature meets next year.
Its tactics have prompted complaints that Beijing improperly protects and subsidizes its fledgling creators and led then-President Donald Trump to hike tariffs on Chinese imports in 2019, setting off a trade war that jolted the global economy. Trump's successor, Joe Biden, has kept those penalties in place and this month increased restrictions on Chinese access to U.S. chip technology.
Xi said the party would build"self-reliance and strength" in technology by improving China's education system and attracting foreign experts. Xi's government also faces criticism over mass detentions and other abuses against mostly Muslim ethnic groups and the jailing of government critics.
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