China's National People's Congress Confirms the Era of Xi

International observers have hailed the 13th National People's Congress of China as historic and significant. During the congress, which ended March 20, delegates rubber-stamped a constitutional amendment to remove the term limits for the president and vice president. President Xi Jinping now has the option to remain in power for the rest of his natural life. Contrary to popular expectations of a global convergence on liberal democracy, the 21st century has brought an expansion of authoritarian leadership, from Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Egypt's Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Russian President Vladimir Putin also falls into this category, having recently won a fourth six-year term in office. Is Xi's rise to one-man rule in China part of the same global trend that has enabled these leaders' ascendancy? The answer is no. Instead, two constant factors in the internal logic of Chinese politics can explain Xi's dictatorial tendencies....