DACH Supersonic October 25, 2017 Share October 25, 2017 (edited) Xi Jinping signals intent to remain in power by revealing politburo with no successor https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/25/xi-jinping-signals-intent-power-successor-politburo-china China’s president unveils his all-male cabinet, but crucially no member is young enough to take the reins from Xi at the end of his second term Xi Jinping has kicked off his second term as leader of the world’s second largest economy, vowing to spearhead the “great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation” and signalling his intent to tower over Chinese politics for decades to come. At just before noon on Wednesday, Xi unveiled the new line-up of China’s top ruling council – the Communist party’s politburo standing committee – leading six besuited comrades out into a blaze of camera flashes in the Great Hall of the People. “Here, on behalf of the newly elected central leadership, I wish to express our heartfelt thanks to all other members of the party for the trust they have placed in us. We will work diligently to meet our duty, fulfil our mission and be worthy of their trust,” Xi said in a 21-minute address that marks the formal start of his second term. Crucially, the all-male group contained no potential successor, since none of its five new members – all aged between 60 and 67 – is young enough to take the reins from Xi after the end of his second term, in 2022, and to then rule for the customary decade. Such is the secrecy that cloaks Chinese politics that the identities of the standing committee’s incoming members were known only as Xi escorted them out onto a scarlet-carpeted stage. Joining Xi and premier Li Keqiang on the elite committee are: Li Zhanshu, 67, Han Zheng, 63, Zhao Leji, 60, Wang Yang, 62 and Wang Huning, 62. “I still can’t get over the fact how the world’s second largest economy, which is declaring this new role of global leadership, is nearly as opaque as the North Korean political system,” said Jude Blanchette, an expert in Chinese politics from New York’s Conference Board research group. “I just find that absolutely striking and in a way almost unacceptable for a system that wants to play such a fundamental role in guiding and shaping the 21st century.” China’s propaganda apparatus has touted this week’s political show as an example of openness and transparency. However, a number of major western news organisations whose coverage of Xi’s rule has irked Beijing were excluded from Wednesday’s event without explanation including the BBC, the Financial Times, the Economist, the New York Times and the Guardian. In his address, Xi outlined his vision for what he called China’s “new era”, an era in which an emboldened and purified Communist party would play an even more prominent role in returning the country to its former glories. “It is my conviction that the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation will become a reality,” he said, urging his party to become “the backbone of our nation.” “We should never entertain the idea of taking a breather or halting our steps. Instead, we must continue to rid ourselves of any virus that erodes the party’s fabric, make great efforts to foster a healthy political environment of integrity and generate waves of positive energy throughout our party which can build into a mighty nationwide force driving China’s development and progress.” Xi also pledged “a resolute push” to eradicate poverty, to “open China still wider to the world” and hinted at the more assertive and muscular role Beijing is expected to seek on the world stage in the years ahead. “With confidence and pride the Chinese people will be steadfast in upholding our country’s sovereignty, security and development interests,” he said. The unveiling of China’s new ruling council came one day after the end of the 19th party congress, a week-long political summit at which Xi established himself as the country’s most dominant leader since its revolutionary founder Mao Zedong. On Tuesday, Xi’s eponymous political philosophy was enshrined in the party’s constitution alongside those of Mao and Deng Xiaoping, the architect of China’s economic opening to the world. Experts say that momentous and highly symbolic achievement puts Xi in a virtually unassailable position at the pinnacle of the 89 million member organisation. Having failed to anoint a successor, he is now likely to be calling the shots in Chinese politics well into the 2030s. With Xi now entering his second, although perhaps no longer final five-year term, thoughts are turning to what the next stage of the Xi era might hold. Supporters claim that having used a ferocious anti-corruption campaign to purge rivals and consolidate his grip over the party during his first five-year term, Xi will now turn his mind to comprehensive reforms of China’s economy. “I think the real reform just began,” said Wang Wen, a pro-establishment scholar from a thinktank linked to Renmin University. Wang argued that Xi would enter his second term with “much more authority” and a greater ability to implement his blueprint for China. Such optimism was echoed in China’s party-run media on Wednesday as cadres lined up to heap praise on their all-powerful leader. “We firmly believe that if people all over the country roll up their sleeves under the guidance of Xi’s Thought … we will move steadily into the future with the irresistible force of a high-speed train,” Chen Meifang, a Shanghai railway official, was quoted astelling the Beijing Daily. However, such hopefulness is widely disputed. Blanchette said he expected to see a “super-sized version” of Xi’s first-term policies in his second stint, as China’s leader pursued what he saw as his “program of Chinese greatness”. That would mean accelerating efforts to build a modern, battle-ready military that could begin to push the United States further and further out of what China saw as its Pacific backyard; an increasingly assertive foreign policy in regions such as the South and East China seas; and continued efforts to promote a hi-tech economic revolution by championing huge companies that were either controlled or heavily aligned with the state. It would also mean that the Communist party – and the Communist party only – would continue to lay down the law, in all aspects of Chinese society. In an editorial celebrating the start of Xi’s “new era” on Wednesday, the People’s Daily, the party’s mouthpiece, argued: “History has shown and will continue to show that without the leadership of the Chinese Communist party, the idea of national rejuvenation is a fantasy.” “We should hunker in for a long winter of tight political control,” Blanchette predicted. We should hunker in for a long winter of tight political control Jude Blanchette Elizabeth Economy, the director for Asia studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, said she saw this week’s congress “as affirmation of the direction in which Xi has already been moving the party as opposed to a point at which now we are going to see the real Xi Jinping and his real reforms emerge”. She added: “I think what we are going to see is an intensification along the same lines.” Economy balked at the suggestion that Xi – whose first term has witnessed an unusually fierce crackdown on party opponents and human rights – might suddenly emerge as a political reformer. “I don’t think a crypto-liberal would do what he has been doing over the past five years. I don’t think a crypto-liberal lets Liu Xiaobo die in jail, and the arrests and the intensification of the attacks on the [human rights] lawyers. That is not a crypto-liberal,” she said. Blanchette said Xi had shown a remarkable “mastery of the political system” in China during his first term in power: “The second question though is does that mean he has an omniscience or an omnipotence to deal with all the significant challenges that China is facing? “There is a huge list of challenges that Xi Jinping has to deal with,” he added, pointing to a gradually slowing economy, a looming debt crisis and the possibility of a nuclear conflagration on its doorstep. “He now has the power to do it. But how he deals with these challenges will be one of the most important indicators of whether or not he is able to stay on for the term that he feels he deserves.” Additional reporting by Wang Zhen. What 'Xi Jinping Thought' Stands For https://www.forbes.com/sites/salvatorebabones/2017/10/22/what-does-xi-jinping-thought-mean-and-how-does-it-compare-to-america-first/#2bfee5ab3262 Xi Jinping is universally regarded as China's most powerful leader since Deng Xiaoping, and perhaps since Mao Zedong. Both Deng and Mao left their marks in the charter of the Communist Party of China, and the rumor is that Xi will be their first successor to do the same. Mao's "mass line" and Deng's "seeking truth from facts" have become official tenets of Communist Party dogma. Xi's "socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era" may soon join these august concepts as official truth. But just what does "Xi Jinping Thought" really consist of? To answer that question, it helps to compare Xi's governing principles to those of the four preceding "paramount leaders" of China's Communist Party. Xi versus Mao Xi Jinping is most often compared to Mao Zedong, China's revolutionary leader, red emperor and communist theologian. Mao's political maxims were collected in the Little Red Book once read by leftist college students and Latin American guerillas. Mao Zedong thought is not all that bad, if you happen to be planning a people's revolution to overthrow your government. Unlike Lenin and most European Marxists, Mao taught that revolutions had to come from below. And unlike most revolutionaries, he still fought to overthrow the government even when he was the government. The infamous Cultural Revolution that rocked Chinese society from 1966-1976 was the result. Xi is no revolutionary, and he is certainly no Mao. Xi'sChinese Dream is a "moderately prosperous society," not a communist utopia. Xi does talk a lot about "national rejuvenation," but that's really just a way to avoid using the Western word for what he really means: renaissance. Xi's Chinese renaissance is all about China's space program, high speed rail network and high technology parks. But a real Chinese renaissance requires the reversal of China's long-term brain drain to the United States and other English-speaking countries. The problem? Most Chinese scientists are unwilling to give up their tenured positions overseas to take a chance on a permanent return to China. Barring a reversal of epic proportions, in 2021 Xi will preside over the centenary of the Chinese Communist Party. That will be as good a time as any to finally lay Mao Zedong Thought to rest for good. If Xi has his way, they may just take the opportunity to bury Mao along with it. He's been waiting long enough. Xi versus Deng Soon after the death of Mao, his long-time frenemy Deng Xiaoping put paid to the Cultural Revolution and started China on the path to opening and reform that it has followed for the last 40 years. Famous for saying that it was OK for some people to get rich before others, Deng was repeatedly condemned by Mao as a "capitalist roader" -- which, as soon as Mao died, is exactly what he turned out to be. To facilitate his economic reform agenda, Deng urged that China should "keep a low profile" in international affairs, biding its time while building its strength. Xi'sstrive for achievement strategy couldn't be more different. In his landmark Communist Party Congress speech, Xi pledged that China would have a "world class" military by 2050, in line with his policy of relentless maritime expansion in the South China Sea. Xi has departed radically from Deng's advice on foreign policy, but what Xi shares with Deng is a staunchly conservative preference for order over chaos. Deng ruthlessly suppressed the Tiananmen Square democracy movement in order to preserve the rule of the Communist Party. Xi has much more subtly turned the screws on political dissent using the more discriminating but perhaps more effective tools of online surveillanceand selective imprisonment. As the ever-quotable Deng said himself, "it doesn't matter whether the cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice." Xi versus Jiang Deng Xiaoing's successor Jiang Zemin is perhaps best remembered for the fact that everything done under his leadership was done "with Chinese characteristics." Deng may have coined the phrase "socialism with Chinese characteristics" to justify his introduction of the market into China's planned economy, but under Jiangthe phrase became a standing joke. Jiang Zemin codified these Chinese characteristics into the "Three Represents": the idea that in addition to the poor, the Communist Party of China would also represent China's business and cultural elites. Under Xi, this has evolved into the Two Represents, and if China's new rich get their way it may soon degenerate back into a novel kind of One Represent. Xi versus Hu Hu Jintao's major contribution to the intellectual life of the Communist Party was to bring Confucius back into the fold. Long prescribed under Mao as the reactionary idol of the pre-revolutionary patriarchy, today Confucius is back in China, with no small thanks to Hu, who rehabilitated Confucian thought, reopened Confucian temples, and chartered the Confucius Institutes to become China's cultural ambassadors to the world. Hu's trademark slogan was the "harmonious society" -- i.e., trust the government and don't complain and everyone can live in harmony. No word on what thenotoriously cranky sage, who got himself successively kicked out of ten different countries for criticizing their poor leadership, might have thought of this. Hu later extended the harmonious society to the harmonious world (i.e., trust China and don't complain and the world can live in harmony). With his One Belt, One Road expansionism and South China Sea island building, Xi seems keen to continue Hu's expansive foreign policy program, only with even less emphasis on the "harmonious" part of the equation. "Party First" Xi Jinping Thought, in a nutshell, seems to boil down to something resembling "America First, with Chinese Characteristics." By all accounts, Xi and U.S. President Donald Trump got along surprisingly well at their first meeting in April, perhaps because at a level deeper than mere speech they spoke the same language. If Xi's political philosophy isn't exactly China First, it is something close to it but at the same time distinctively Chinese: something like "Party First." And putting the interests of the Communist Party first is one thing he shares with all of his predecessors. Like Deng, Xi is a pragmatist who will stay on the capitalist road so long as it leads to much greater wealth than any other. Like Jiang, he is very happy to lead a ruling party dominated by his country's business elite. Like his immediate predecessor Hu, he is crafty enough to use patriotism and ethnic pride as tools to keep ordinary Chinese (if not necessarily China's minority groups) on his side. And like Mao, Xi seems to be ruthless enough to succeed in making his own Chinese Dream a reality. As long as he continues to put the Party first, Xi is likely to maintain his grip on power -- and the Party's loyalty. And as long as the Party puts Xi first, he is likely to have no cause to complain. Xi Jinping Thought may not sell as many books as Mao's did, but come 2021 it will be Xi who sets the course for the next 100 years of the Communist Party of China. Edited October 25, 2017 by DACH ↡ Advertisement Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ysc3 Twincharged October 25, 2017 Share October 25, 2017 best show of power : putting 2 non-allies to the committee !! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DACH Supersonic March 11, 2018 Author Share March 11, 2018 China clears way for Xi Jinping to rule for life https://edition.cnn.com/2018/03/11/asia/china-presidential-term-limits-intl/index.html Beijing (CNN)China's largely ceremonial parliament on Sunday overwhelmingly endorsed a controversial change to the country's constitution, paving the way for President Xi Jinping to stay in power indefinitely. Inside Beijing's Great Hall of the People, nearly 3,000 delegates to the National People's Congress (NPC) cast their ballots on a series of proposed amendments -- including removing the restriction that had limited the presidency to two consecutive five-year terms. Out of 2,964 ballots, just two delegates voted against the move and three abstained, suggesting minimal opposition to Xi's push to rule for life. The amendments' passage required two thirds of the vote. The ruling Communist Party announced the proposals on February 25 and, amid a backlash in some quarters, has justified the change as a necessity to align the presidency with Xi's two other, more powerful, posts -- heads of the party and the military -- that have no term limits. The 64-year-old Xi, already hailed as the most powerful Chinese leader since Mao Zedong, last week gave a ringing endorsement to the proposed constitutional changes, calling them a reflection of the "common will of the party and the people." But some critics say the move is not only against the public interest but also makes Xi politically vulnerable in the long run. "He just dug a huge hole for himself," said Li Datong, a former editor of the state-run China Youth Daily newspaper and one of the few voices of open opposition. "The top leader's term limits are the biggest common denominator shared by all political forces in China," he said. "Its removal could trigger political infighting -- that's why this move is dangerous." However, when asked about a potential power struggle, Shen Chunyao, a senior NPC official, dismissed such concerns. "I don't think this issue exists," he said at a post-vote press conference. Brazen step Since the amendment to scrap presidential term limits also applies to the vice presidency, many analysts see growing signs of the hitherto ceremonial position going to one of Xi's most trusted lieutenants. Wang Qishan, China's fearsome former anti-corruption czar, is likely to become the new vice president later this week and be given major responsibilities, allowing the two men to join hands again to rule China for years to come. China watchers say the brazen step toward life-long tenure for Xi demonstrates his character. "He's a bit of bulldozer -- and there's no other senior politician who could or want to stand up to him," said Duncan Innes-Ker, regional director for Asia at the Economist Intelligence Unit. "The trouble with being the clear leader of everything is that everyone knows where the buck stops if something goes wrong." Another major constitutional change approved Sunday was the creation of an all-powerful national anti-corruption agency, regarded by many as equally significant as the removal of term limits in its impact on Chinese politics. he National Supervision Commission (NSC) will have a comparable status to the cabinet, the supreme court and the top prosecutor's office, consolidating existing graft-busting powers vested in various government agencies. Although it will share office space and personnel with the party's disciplinary arm -- once headed by the 69-year-old Wang -- the NSC can target anyone who exercises public authority, instead of just Communist Party members, providing Xi with further power to crush any political disloyalty. "It looks very much like the early stage of Putin, the accumulation of power," said Innes-Ker, the analyst. "The bigger question is whether or not this accumulation of power around Xi is positive or negative for reform." "At the moment, we are not confident about the direction the government is going on its policy of reform." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piyopico Supercharged March 11, 2018 Share March 11, 2018 In another decade or two, China will be pretty big fark. Singapore needs to think very very carefully....... taking sides might not be such a bad idea. Just take both sides...... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watwheels Supersonic March 11, 2018 Share March 11, 2018 (edited) I'm like thinking....is this fake news? No political system would choose dictatorship as their first choice. No way. No such thing as no rivals or no successors. I think it's most likely BS. Edited March 11, 2018 by Watwheels 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evillusion Supersonic March 11, 2018 Share March 11, 2018 I'm like thinking....is this fake news? No political system would choose dictatorship as their first choice. No way. No such thing as no rivals or no successors. I think it's most likely BS. paving the way to become china's new emperor lor! Ours is small dragon....this wan big dragon. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watwheels Supersonic March 11, 2018 Share March 11, 2018 (edited) paving the way to become china's new emperor lor! Ours is small dragon....this wan big dragon. Unless the father is a dictator. Pave way for son to be the next dictator. Like we saw it happen before...in North Korea. Or maybe here too? Ppl very free. Can write up such a big wall of text just to say the current China president will be their next dictator. How ridiculous it sounds. China's history already proven dynasty cannot work and dictatorships always most certainly end up bad. Now they want to what? Come on. What has history taught us? Edited March 11, 2018 by Watwheels Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evillusion Supersonic March 11, 2018 Share March 11, 2018 Unless the father is a dictator. Pave way for son to be the next dictator. Like we saw it happen before...in North Korea. Or maybe here too? Ppl very free. Can write up such a big wall of text just to say the current China president will be their next dictator. How ridiculous it sounds. China's history already proven dynasty cannot work and dictatorships always most certainly end up bad. Now they want to what? Come on. What has history taught us? History always repeats itself....as the saying goes. Human is programme in such a way that they will always think it is for the best and in everybody's interest....but actually its for his or her own interest. China can never have a democracy.....if it does, it will be left in ruin. It will just implode on itself. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
inlinesix Hypersonic March 12, 2018 Share March 12, 2018 (edited) I'm like thinking....is this fake news? No political system would choose dictatorship as their first choice. No way. No such thing as no rivals or no successors. I think it's most likely BS. This news has been circulating since nineteenth big last year. The initial constitution does not include term limit for President. Deng changed in the 80s. So, now Xi big big change it back again. Actually, President got no power 1 unless he/she is also party secretary. Edited March 12, 2018 by Davidtch 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamesc Hypersonic March 12, 2018 Share March 12, 2018 Power hungry monster. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamesc Hypersonic March 12, 2018 Share March 12, 2018 History always repeats itself....as the saying goes. Human is programme in such a way that they will always think it is for the best and in everybody's interest....but actually its for his or her own interest. China can never have a democracy.....if it does, it will be left in ruin. It will just implode on itself.Yeah democracy doesn't work. Just look at USA they have an idiot as president. He is also controlled by Russia. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evillusion Supersonic March 12, 2018 Share March 12, 2018 Yeah democracy doesn't work. Just look at USA they have an idiot as president. He is also controlled by Russia. democracy is for a country that accept it and the citizens embraces the idea. Many countries especially asians are not ready for 100% democracy. Tribal and racial prejudices still exist in many parts of asia and africa. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maxus-MIFA9 Supersonic March 12, 2018 Share March 12, 2018 Yeah democracy doesn't work. Just look at USA they have an idiot as president. He is also controlled by Russia. So much better than controlled by MIL .... 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamesc Hypersonic March 12, 2018 Share March 12, 2018 (edited) So much better than controlled by MIL .... Trumpy is so much more fun than MIL. Can go womanise with him. Can have mass orgy in Ritz Carlton Moscow with him. Can talk nonsense with him. democracy is for a country that accept it and the citizens embraces the idea. Many countries especially asians are not ready for 100% democracy. Tribal and racial prejudices still exist in many parts of asia and africa.I also don't like demo crazy. I have Asian values. Edited March 12, 2018 by Jamesc 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kusje Supersonic March 12, 2018 Share March 12, 2018 In another decade or two, China will be pretty big fark. Singapore needs to think very very carefully....... taking sides might not be such a bad idea. Just take both sides...... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
inlinesix Hypersonic March 12, 2018 Share March 12, 2018 (edited) Taking both sides? You think other people are stupid and won't see thru it? Rather than how we deal with Terrex Edited March 12, 2018 by Davidtch Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BanCoe Hypersonic March 12, 2018 Share March 12, 2018 your keyboard got salah spell ?? MIL or MIW So much better than controlled by MIL .... 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staff69 Hypersonic March 12, 2018 Share March 12, 2018 we should vote for the same here. since so many supporters ↡ Advertisement Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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