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China's President Trades One Set of Risks for Another

Feb 28, 2018 | 20:05 GMT

Chinese President Xi Jinping reviews an honor guard on Oct. 20, 2015, in London.

Chinese President Xi Jinping reviews an honor guard on Oct. 20, 2015, in London. Removing presidential term limits is one of the final steps in Xi's plan to consolidate political power.

(CARL COURT/Getty Images)

Highlights

  • China's Communist Party has moved to abolish presidential term limits, paving the way for President Xi Jinping to further consolidate power.
  • China's political centralization efforts are part of its ongoing attempts to establish a more balanced and sustainable economic model.
  • But Xi's dogged persistence brings its own set of challenges, potentially encouraging intraparty resistance and local disapproval.

When China's Communist Party Congress revealed no clear successor to President Xi Jinping in October 2017, it only fueled suspicions that Xi might be intending to outlast the traditional 10-year, two-term limits that come with China's presidency and vice presidency. On Feb. 25, these suspicions were confirmed when the Party moved to abolish those term limits, paving the way for 64-year-old Xi to potentially stay in power beyond 2023. Removing presidential term limits is one of the final steps in the Chinese leader's plan to consolidate political power. But in his efforts, Xi is inviting resistance and, in many ways, trading one set of risks for another....

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