Aside from the intensely ideological, there is a decidedly economic underpinning to Wednesday’s resolve of the Communist Party of China and the State Council (cabinet) to frame laws on such seemingly varied issues as national security, monopolies, education and culture.
Altogether the decision signals the message that the ongoing crackdown on various industrial sectors will continue. It is obvious too that the CPC is tightening its monolithic authority over ambitious corporate enterprises. The larger objective ought to be viewed as part of a five-year plan for “building a law-based government”.
President Xi Jinping, quite the most powerful leader after Mao Zedong, has made the “rule of law” the conspicuous aspect of his style of governance. It could well be extended should he seek a third term next year, though theoretically he is the President for life.
In the blueprint that will be valid till 2025, the government in Beijing and the overarching CPC plan to improve legislation on public health by amending the infectious disease law and the “frontier health and quarantine law”. Going by the contours, as published by the official Xinhua news agency, it is rare for the CPC and the government ~ an extension of the former ~ to jointly issue a document of economic, social and ideological import.
“It (the new document) urges improving government functions in various fields, including economic adjustment, market supervision, social management, public service, and environmental protection,” Xinhua reported on the 10-point plan. China’s top leadership has urged “all levels of the government to promote lawbased administration with the help of digital technologies, including the internet, big data, and artificial intelligence”.
The CPC has blended post-modern technology with the imperatives of governance. To improve the “law-based” business environment, the plan calls for concrete efforts to prevent the administrative authority from eliminating or stifling competition. It is delightfully vague on how the imperatives of a market economy will be in force in an economy to be overseen by the party and its government.
The document also promises strengthened enforcement of anti-monopoly and anti-unfair competition laws. It has stressed the need to buttress legislative activities and studies in key areas such as national security, bio-security, prevention and control of infectious diseases, and digital economy. The release of the document seems to be part of Beijing’s current crackdown on technology companies and the private education system.
Some months ago, China initiated anti-monopoly investigations into some of the country’s biggest technology firms. The giant, Alibaba, accepted a record $ 2.8 billion fine after an investigation found that it had abused its dominant market position for years.