A New Era for China: Say Hello to “Emperor” Xi

On February 25, 2018, the central committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) proposed an amendment to the Chinese constitution, seeking an end to the two-term limit for China’s general secretary. This amendment meant that the current general secretary of China, Xi Jinping, who was supposed to resign from his presidency in 2023, could possibly stay in office for life. And finally, on March 11, the amendment was passed with an overwhelming majority of 99.8 percent (2958 for, 2 against, and 4 abstain) for the amendment, and thus Xi is now officially granted the unbounded power to govern China beyond 2023.

When the amendment was first proposed and made public, there was a variety of reactions, running the gamut from excited to nervous. China’s media (which are censored by the government) and proponents of Xi immediately began advocating for the amendment by distributing mass propaganda; Chinese local newspaper Global Times published a pro-government editorial, claiming, “Out of rationality and faith, all Chinese people [should] support the [constitutional] amendment and hope it can contribute to our well-being.” Meanwhile, experts and citizens expressed their disbelief and concerns regarding the possible amendment that would make Xi Jinping an “emperor”, not a general secretary. However, their words were quickly eradicated from the internet as the government’s censor machines wiped out any posts criticizing the Xi regime.

Whether Chinese local citizens support or disapprove of Xi for possibly starting what they view as an absolute monarchy, it is undeniable that Xi remains popular among the majority of Chinese people. From 2012, he had already solidified his image as a leader who understands and commiserates with the peasants because he also used to be a manual laborer in the rural Shaanxi province in his late teens and early 20’s. He is also a charismatic, powerful leader who possesses patriotism. In his first term, he began active diplomacy which induced rapid economic growth during the past decade. He also vehemently insisted upon designating all territory within the South China Sea, even though that meant China would be in conflict with other Asian countries. Many Chinese people support Xi for being a headstrong leader and for having devotion and loyalty towards China.

Until now, what Xi has done for China is already tremendous, and by allowing him to continue to be in charge of China for the upcoming decades, China is projected to “blaze a new trail” and lead the world as the most powerful nation on Earth.

His influence and impact in China are unquestionable; in 2016, CCP bestowed upon Xi the title “core leader”, an appellation used to describe influential party leaders: Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping. In 2017, the CCP amended the constitution to include and honor Xi’s ideologies and thoughts (officially named ‘Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics in a New Era’) in the nation’s most important document.

Now, with the amendment that granted Xi the authority to rule China for life, Xi’s power is tantamount to that of China’s first chairman Mao Zedong. During the past 5 years, Xi has already fully shown his ability and supremacy as China’s leader; if he continues to lead China as effectively as he did during his first term, China will indeed soon replace the U.S. as the world’s most powerful nation. To eliminate any obstruction in achieving his goal, he will strengthen censorship and punishment of those who show signs of dissent. Contemporarily, he is already deemed to be on par with Mao Zedong for influence and impact he has had on China. Then, who knows, by the time Xi resigns from his office, he could have entirely changed China, perhaps even more than the very founder of the People’s Republic of China.

During the course of modern history, there have been a few examples of country leaders who ruled for an indefinite time such as Venezuela’s Chavez and Cuba’s Castro. Today, this type of leader still exists (ex: Vladimir Putin) and Xi, the leader of arguably the world’s most powerful country, just joined their company. The world is alarmed by this because first, corruption and governing failures have often occurred in those countries, and second, an individual wielding too much power could possibly result in megalomania.

Regardless of people’s divided opinions on Xi, China is projected to overtake the U.S. and become number one in world GDP ranking. And at this juncture, Xi is the chosen man and the most plausible character to take China to a premier position in the world.

For more information, please visit britannica.com, cnbc.com, thediplomat.com, and vox.com.