China's Third Plenum concludes without major breakthroughs

The Chinese Communist Party has wrapped up a series of high-level meetings with a communiqué that China watchers have described as vague and lacking detailed policies.

The meetings, called the Third Plenary Session, usually deal with major economic and political policy changes in China. This year, the session has approved decisions on "further comprehensively deepening of reform and promoting Chinese-style modernization."

According to the official communiqué released on July 18, the four-day meeting was attended by 199 Central Committee members and 165 alternate members.

It stated that the Beijing authorities will focus on "improving the (Communist) Party's capacity for leadership and long-term governance," with a goal of completing all tasks by 2029, the 80th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

President Xi in focus

Despite the emphasis on "reform" this time, Beijing has not made significant breakthroughs in economic and social policies as most political observers had anticipated.

Hsin-Hsien Wang, a professor at Taiwan's National Chengchi University's Institute of East Asian Studies, told DW that people shouldn't view the Third Plenum purely from economic and social perspectives, but rather focus onPresident Xi Jinping's positioning.

Wang believes that Beijing is essentially maintaining the policy direction set since the 20th Party Congress in 2022, with Xi Jinping "firmly grasping the dominant role in overall policy-making" and that by adding 2029 to the timeline, Xi could be implying "he would still be in power by then."

"He's setting the stage, suggesting that he may indeed have a fourth term," Wang told DW.

Xi began an unprecedented third term as China's leader in 2022, which is set to end in 2027.

Wen-Ti Sung, a non-resident fellow with the Atlantic Council's Global China Hub, had a similar observation.

"That tells you that the goal is for a continued, stable and durable leadership going into the next five years," said Sung.

"In that sense, the Third Plenum isn't so much about unleashing major new reform packages. It's more about driving home the point that the defining characteristic of the new era of reform is the centrality of core leadership," he added.

Maintaining stability is the focus

On the opening day of the meetings, China's official Xinhua News Agency referred to Xi Jinping as a "reformer" in a 10,000-word special article, comparing him to China's former leader Deng Xiaoping, who oversaw major reforms and the opening-up of the country in 1978.

The Chinese article was later reported to have been removed and is no longer accessible on the news agency's website.

Despite the calling for reform, the Plenum communiqué reflects Beijing's intention to continue existing policies with a greater emphasis on "pursuing progress while ensuring stability."

Scholar Sung told DW that the keyword of the Third Plenary Session was, in fact, "stability."

"When [Xi] talks about deepening reform with a keyword of 'persistence,' this means continuing on the current path," Sung said. "That continuity, first and foremost, is about the stability of durable top-level leadership."

Security still surpasses economy

The political meetings came as China faces internal challenges such as an economic slowdown, high debt in the real estate sector, high unemployment rates, and an aging population.

On top of it are a number of external challenges, including the US-China tech war and increasingly tense geopolitical relations, most notably in the South China Sea.

China watchers have paid close attention as to whether Beijing would use this moment to rebalance national security and economic issues, like, for example, moving towards more open markets and private sector development.

In the communique, Beijing addresses the need to better leverage the role of the market, saying it will "lift restrictions on the market while ensuring effective regulation."

However, when discussing security, the communiqué still stressed that "national security provides a pivotal foundation for ensuring steady and continued progress in Chinese modernization."

Sung believes that Beijing is sending "mixed messages" that emphasize economic development while further stressing the stability of the leadership.

That may likely entail further tightening of political control, Sung told DW, "which at some point can logically entail various restrictions when it comes to economic opening to the outside world."

Edited by: Ole Tangen Jr