Mr Xi’s mention in his Congress report of forces within the Communist Party still resisting his changes, and accusing them in some cases of being corrupt, was a change in tone, said Professor Rana Mitter, an expert in History and Politics of Modern China at the University of Oxford.
“That must say something, that after 10 years of his rule already, that there are still these forces that exist within the party,” he noted.
“But I think it also shows, interestingly, the sort of confidence that he was willing to put it openly in the speech and broadcast it on national and indeed international television as well.”
Calling corruption a “cancer to the vitality and ability of the Party”, Mr Xi has signaled that the anti-corruption campaign is here to stay.
“As long as the breeding grounds and conditions for corruption still exist, we must keep sounding the bugle and never rest, not even for a minute,” he said.
The Chinese leader added that “self-reform” was one of the answers to the question of how to escape the “historical cycle of rise and fall”, and that doing so would ensure “the Party will never change its nature, its conviction, or its character”.