News Backgrounder: Asia’s most Important Political Event of 2022

It’s not an election. Nor is it a parliamentary vote. No. It’s, technically, just a meeting for a political party. But that political party happens to be the most powerful in the world, and could enthrone as dictator-for-life a leader who’s silenced human rights lawyers, cracked down on pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong, and enabled the ongoing genocide and systemic cultural destruction of an entire ethnic group, the Uyghurs.

The most important political event of 2022 is China’s 20th Communist Party Congress, even though the primary outcome is all but set. Despite China being the world’s second largest economy, largest greenhouse gas emitter, and, increasingly, expansionist and authoritarian, this even is getting little attention in the global media. It connects to a broader issue – limited space for complicated political events in Asia, where only dramatic stories, such as terrorist attacks, disasters, and violence, get attention.

So in this Asia Undercovered Backgrounder, we share stories on the coming Congress, why it matters, what will happen, and why we should all be worried about another five years of Xi Jingping, a ruthless dictator ruling China.