Xi term-limits controversy looms over Congress meeting
The prospect of Chinese President Xi Jinping ruling indefinitely is dominating discussion as China’s legislature opens its annual session in Beijing.
A look at some of the major issues on the table at this year’s meeting of the nearly 3000-member National People’s Congress: A possible Xi presidency-for-life: The proposal to amend the constitution by lifting the limit of two consecutive terms for the president and vice-president appeared without warning, even if few were surprised.
Though it’s expected to pass with near-unanimous approval, some complaints have arisen from independent political commentators and internet users. One of the most popular images was of Winnie the Pooh — to whom Xi is said to bear a resemblance — hugging a pot of honey accompanied by the quote, “Find the thing you love and stick with it.” Implications for China’s political system: While seen as offering stability in the near term, the prospect of Xi as president-for-life has many worrying about his long-term intentions and a return to one-man rule in the style of the Chinese emperors or communist China’s founder, Mao Zedong.
Along with reviving fears of dictatorship, greater political repression and policy-making on a whim, the move undermines a decades-long push for greater institutionalisation of the levers of power and strengthened rule of law. It also throws up questions about the future succession process and appears to scupper any chance for political liberalisation to keep pace with China’s increasingly individualistic society. Looking long term: By setting the stage to extend his rule by a decade or more, Xi seems to indicate that he believes he’s the only one fit to see out his vision of turning China into a top innovative nation by 2035 and to realise his “China Dream” of a fully modern leading nation by midcentury.
He’s also eager to carry forward his campaigns to end corruption and abuse through the establishment of a National Supervisory Commission, to end poverty and continue turning the People’s Liberation Army into the dominant military force in Asia.
Other longer-term goals and prospects include eclipsing the US as the world’s largest economy and pushing it out of the Asia-Pacific power sphere, managing Hong Kong until its 50 years of semi-autonomy run out in 2047 and engineering reunification with Taiwan. Installing key ally Wang Qishan as vice-president: Wang has been Xi’s main enforcer in his trademark campaign against corruption, now well into its sixth year, and has helped take down potential rivals both retired and in office.
Though Wang, 69, is past standard retirement age and stepped down from the all-powerful Politburo Standing Committee last year, he retained his seat as a member of the National People’s Congress and stands to transform the traditionally ceremonial role of vice-president.
That will further consolidate Xi’s authority against Premier Li Keqiang and allies of former leaders Hu Jintao and Jiang Zemin, and shake up the status quo by which real power at the centre derives almost exclusively from the Standing Committee.