China’s key policy meeting offered no answers to the country’s economic challenges

The Communist Party of China’s 19th Central Committee concluded its fourth plenary session at the end of October. In addition to discussing the work report submitted by president Xi, the session focused on modernisation of the current system and improving capacity for governance. The final communique from the meeting, however, consisted largely of antiquated party hype and failed to offer concrete plans for tackling the country’s wide-ranging economic issues.

The communique, which otherwise barely mentioned current problems, addressed the unrest in Hong Kong by stressing the importance of the “one country, two system” principle, as well the need to guarantee national security in special administrative regions. Possible changes in the law or other measures contemplated by the party elite for Hong Kong were not clarified.

The plenary session, which plays an important role in the party’s decision-making, was postponed for one year without any explanation. The lack of proper information from the session and the empty content of the communique contradict the meeting theme of modernizing the current system.