China’s official parliament, the National People’s Congress, on Friday nodded approval of a third presidential term for Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping, paving the way for him to hold power in the country’s top posts indefinitely. .
Some 3,000 unelected congressional delegates voted unanimously for Xi, 69, to continue in office as president, a widely expected result that will likely mean tougher policies at home and rising tensions with the international community, analysts told Radio Free Asia on Friday.
It was voted for a third term as General Secretary of the Communist Partyhis most important post, at the 20th party congress last October, in a move that broke an unwritten rule in operation since the death of the late Supreme Leader Deng Xiaoping that national leaders resign after two terms in office.
Friday’s “vote” came five years after the National Popular Assembly approved amendments to the Chinese constitution remove term limits for the party general secretary and the largely ceremonial state presidency.
Xi also remains as commander-in-chief of the 2 million-strong People’s Liberation Army, after being reappointed as chairman of the Central Military Commission on Friday.
Xi was sworn in on a copy of the Chinese Constitution, along with former anti-corruption czar Zhao Leji as head of the National People’s Congress and former Shanghai party chief Han Zheng as vice president, a largely ceremonial position.
Zhao and Han are loyal to Xi, with the former presiding over Xi’s anti-corruption purges as head of the party’s disciplinary arm.
party ideologue wang huning was appointed head of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, which works with the party United Front Work Department promote loyalty to Xi outside the party ranks and spread his personal brand of political ideology beyond China’s borders.
Li Qiang, who implemented Xi’s zero-COVID policies in the form of brutal lockdown of shanghai in 2022he is expected to replace Li Keqiang as premier in a weekend vote.
in charge of everything
Japan-based Chinese scholar Hong Xiangan said the result was not a surprise.
“They were just going through the motions,” Hong said. “He is already the supreme leader of the country.”
“The Communist Party hasn’t had a supreme leader in charge of everything since Mao Zedong, who was the first-generation Communist Party leader who conquered the nation,” he said.
However, he said that Mao probably had more astute political skills than Xi.
“Mao never got rid of (his prime minister) Zhou Enlai, who lasted (in power) all his life,” Hong said.
Rather, Li Qiang will replace Li Keqiang at the head of the administration, while Xi’s ally Ding Xuexiang will be in charge of the day-to-day running of the party, he said.
But he said Xi’s insistence on being in charge of everything could backfire.
“Mao Zedong knew very well the difference between the emperor and his prime minister,” Hong said. “(He believed) that everyone should get on and do their job.”
“Now, he acts as an all-in-one leader,” Hong said of Xi, suggesting that his reliance on political allies rather than technocrats could make it harder to deal with current challenges, including a declining economy in the wake of politics. zero. COVID policy.
“Are there capable ministers?” he said. “Looking at the resumes of these people…it doesn’t seem like any of them have any idea how to run the country.”
But he said Xi is likely to see no turning back on his current path.
“There’s no way he’s going to make a U-turn,” Hong said. “There is no going back now, and the opportunity will not arise again until the next generation of leaders arrives.”
“Even More Draconian”
None of the 2,952 delegates in the Great Hall of the People on Friday voted against the motion to approve Xi, which came after a motion to approve a government restructuring plan.
Feng Chongyi, a professor of political science at the University of Technology Sydney, said Xi has now succeeded in removing any significant potential opponents from the highest echelons of Chinese politics and has a clear path to rule indefinitely.
“All kinds of policies will now become even more draconian,” Feng said. “(Xi) will become more arrogant, unscrupulous and intensify (his campaigns of him).”
“As a result, the Chinese people will suffer more, as well as internal and external affairs, international relations, and the people will suffer more hardship,” he said.
Feng said there is still no way to be sure when Xi will move to annex democratic Taiwan by forceBut he said the risk of such a military conflict is directly related to the strength of the Chinese leader’s grip on power.
“His power is limitless, so if he wants to go crazy, he could decide to completely ignore life and property in the service of his power or personal achievement,” he said. “He only thinks of himself, so he won’t hesitate, even if he causes a disaster in… the international order.”
Current affairs commentator Johnny Lau said Xi sees the threat of instability everywhere, both domestically and internationally.
“External forces (influencing Chinese politics) are their long-term nightmare,” Lau said. “As the economic situation worsens, we will see a lot of problems arise with people’s livelihoods.”
Extended party control
And the party-state now lacks even the few checks and balances he once had, according to current affairs commentator Wang Zheng.
“When a single voice emerges and there are no opposing voices, the country will be finished,” Wang said.
He said widespread censorship and fear of political retaliation now make it very difficult to hear any kind of dissent in China.
“If (state broadcaster) CCTV takes to the streets to interview passersby about what they think of their president, the vast majority of people will say they support him,” Wang said.
“If it’s a foreign media organization, a lot of people would be afraid to respond,” he said.
Searches for keywords for “Xi Jinping” on Weibo, similar to China’s Twitter, turned up blocked, while comments on Xinhua News Agency’s official report on Xi were hidden, RFA reporters found.
But some netizens have taken to foreign social media sites to criticize Xi’s long-awaited third term.
“After Mao Zedong, another lifelong dictator has come to power. Even though I knew it would happen, I still feel disgusted when I see this news officially,” said one comment.
“Unanimous approval, no one votes no, no abstentions, 100% support rating! Is this the democracy of the whole process? Is this the largest democratic election in the world? This is the real national humiliation!” said another.
The National People’s Congress is also expected to nod its head through plans structural reforms putting the government’s security and intelligence branches under direct party control, rather than the country’s cabinet, suggesting a new attempt to consolidate political power in Xi’s hands, analysts told RFA in recent interviews.
Government announced plans on Wednesday to establish a central data office to tighten control over “big data” intelligence on its 1.4 billion citizens, as well as implement stricter party control on the banking system and financial markets.
Xi’s third term is also likely to see continued friction with Washington, after newly appointed foreign minister Qin Gang. warned that the United States and China are destined for conflict if Washington refuses to “hit the brakes” while “accelerating down the wrong path” of engagement with Beijing.
Speaking on the sidelines of the annual “two-session” meeting of China’s National People’s Congress, which began on Sunday, Qin dismissed the Biden administration’s calls for “railings” to prevent increasingly sour relations between the US and China. The US and China deteriorate into outright hostility. .
Translated by Luisetta Mudie.
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