Beijing: China’s parliament last week paved the way for president Xi Jinping to continue in power indefinitely by reversing the 35-year-old rule limiting the tenure of a president to two five-year terms. Xi’s 10-year term is supposed to end in 2023.
The constitutional amendment bill was ratified by an overwhelming support from the delegates of the National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s parliament. The bill was passed by 2,958 votes, just six short of a complete majority. Only two delegates voted against, three abstained and there was one invalid vote.
Critics of the move said China has shifted from “one-party rule” to essentially a “one-man rule” and the move blocks the emergence of an alternative leader, putting unbridled power over the party, the military and the state administration in Xi’s hands for years to come. The two-term rule was incorporated in the Constitution to block accumulation of power as was seen in the excesses during the Cultural Revolution under Mao.
The Communist Party, however, said the “speculation has no basis”, with an official addressing the media soon after the vote claiming the decision was aimed at strengthening coordination between the party, the military and the country. “It is an important measure to prioritise coordination between the party, the military and the country,” said Shen Chunyao, Chairman of the Commission for Legislative Affairs of the NPC Standing Committee.
The NPC approved the creation of a powerful national anti-corruption agency with extensive powers for surveillance. Xi is likely to promote Wang Qishan, the former anti-corruption czar, to the rank of vice-president later. The move has wide implications for India, analysts feel. Xi launched the $60 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor, which passes through a portion of Kashmir. New Delhi can expect strengthening of ties between Beijing and Islamabad, while China tries to sell project contracts to India under the Belt and Road programme. Analysts say Xi’s second term, which has just begun, is likely to be different from the first one because he now enjoys more power.
