Chinese President Xi Jinping's speech on New Year's eve has created a buzz - not for the content of his address but for the photos in the background.
Jinping, who recently secured an unprecedented third term, is known for sticking to the official script. So, when Xi delivered his speech on New Year's eve, a political scientist observed some photographs kept in the background.
"Three things stood out to me: Hu Jintao, A4 Revolution, and Taiwan," Wen-Ti Sung, a political scientist working on US-China-Taiwan relations, said.
Party Unity
Jintao, the 6th President of China, was recently in the news after he was forcefully escorted out of the 20th National Congress held in October 2022. Xi, who was sitting next to him and saw the unprecedented drama playing out before the whole world, was accused of humiliating Jintao publically.
However, Sung said one photo placed in the background shows party unity as Xi Jinping is seen, in the picture, with his two predecessors - Jintao and Zemin.
This photo, the scientist said, tried to send a message that Xi received his mandate in part from Jintao and Zemin's generosity and voluntary peaceful transfer of power to him - "of course, Xi is not gonna purge Hu Jintao".
In another photo, Jiang Zemin can be seen toasting to Xi's father Xi Zhongxun in 1999. This, too, was to show Xi was not going to harm Jiang.
Taiwan
Sung noted that Xinhua, the state-run news agency, had pinned two stories on its homepage - both about Taiwan - written by the new and former Taiwan Affairs Ministers. "This treatment shows the Taiwan issue will still remain front and center in Chinese politics in 2023," he said.
Former US Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit in August 2022 brought the issue of Taiwan to the fore. Taiwan calls itself independent, while China considers it its own territory.
Pelosi's visit to Taiwan irked Beijing, which immediately resorted to military posturing and fired live missiles in waters off Taiwan. However, while China has stepped up its drill and exercises near the Taiwan strait, it officially maintains it wants to integrate Taiwan peacefully.
During his New Year speech, Xi said the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are members of one and the same family. "I sincerely hope that our compatriots on both sides of the Strait will work together with a unity of purpose to jointly foster lasting prosperity of the Chinese nation," he said.
Hong Kong Unification
A photo also shows pictures of Xi Jinping visiting Hong Kong. It shows Hong Kong's unification with mainland China and Beijing's control over its periphery.
G20, Beijing Olympics, Military
Three other photos in the background were of Beijing Winter Olympics, G20, and military veterans. Sung noted that the Winter Olympics was to show national pride, Xi's address at G20 was to show China was now a global heavyweight, and the picture of Xi issuing 'Eight-One Medals' to veterans was to show China's military.
A4 revolution
The A4 revolution was a symbol of protests where the people of China flashed a blank sheet of paper to avoid arrest. Frustrated with years-long lockdowns, the people recently hit the streets and demanded more freedom and ease in restrictions. In his speech, Xi sounded considerate towards their demand. He said China is big and it is only normal that different people have different needs and views. "We need to communicate to forge consensus," he said.