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City Beat | Why Xi Jinping used ‘Communist Party chief’ title instead of ‘president’ to direct Hong Kong’s Covid-control efforts, and what it means for ‘one country, two systems’

  • Instruction to Hong Kong to shoulder ‘main responsibility’ in containing fifth wave of infections is Xi’s first direct order to city as general secretary
  • Some commentators suggest this is because Hong Kong’s struggle against the coronavirus is part of the national fight

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Chinese President Xi Jinping. Photo: Xinhua

President Xi Jinping is well recognised both at home and internationally as the most powerful Chinese leader since the late chairman Mao Zedong.
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In China’s political structure, Xi holds three titles: general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, as the ruling party’s chief; president of the People’s Republic of China, as the head of state; and chairman of the Central Military Commission, as commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

There is usually some significance attached to which title he uses and when. He is “President Xi” when meeting his foreign counterparts or attending international events; when it comes to major domestic policymaking, it is often “General Secretary Xi”; and it becomes “Chairman of the Central Military Commission Xi” when dealing with the armed forces, such as during his 2017 inspection of the People’s Liberation Army’s Hong Kong garrison while officiating the 20th anniversary of the city’s return to China. During the 2017 visit he was also “President Xi” at other celebratory events.

Xi also appears sometimes holding all three titles simultaneously to show that the party leads everything.

For a long time, the term familiar to Hongkongers has been “President Xi”. The city’s chief executive, on an annual duty visit to Beijing, must always “report to state leaders”, especially to Xi as the president.

There was a significant difference on the morning of February 16, when Xi ordered the Hong Kong government to shoulder the “main responsibility” in containing this fifth and worst wave of Covid-19 so as to protect people’s lives and maintain social stability.
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Xi issued the instruction in his capacity as party general secretary, rather than as president, according to the two local pro-Beijing newspapers authorised to relay his message to the city.

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