Xi Jinping on the cusp of third term in office

DPA Beijing Communist Party leaders in China have begun four days of deliberations that should yield what is known as an “historic” resolution, a document ...

DPABeijingCommunist Party leaders in China have begun four days of deliberations that should yield what is known as an “historic” resolution, a document designed to cement President Xi Jinping’s power and clear the way for him to claim a third term.While the meeting of the party’s central committee might seem bureaucratic at first glance, such resolutions have only been drafted at times when the party is about to lead the country on a dramatic change.This would only be the third such resolution in modern Chinese history. Assuming its adoption, it would likely clear the way for Xi to become only the second leader in history to enjoy a third term.The party says the current resolution is intended to summarize the party’s “great achievements and historic experiences.” It would also draw clear lines between Xi and the authors of the last two resolutions. Whereas Mao Zedong helped the country rise up and Deng Xiaoping’s reforms helped the country get rich, Xi has focused on making the country more powerful than ever before.These resolutions are almost like holy grails for party members that lay out broad policies and generally mark a divide with the past or a turning point in history.Mao used his in 1945, four years after the founding of modern China, to build up his position and backfoot his opponents, by attesting that only the revolutionaries were following the “correct political lines.” After Mao’s death, Deng’s 1981 resolution set a new tone for the country by marking a clear divide with Mao’s Great Leap Forward economic programme and his Cultural Revolution, which sought party purity. Both events caused significant disruptions in Chinese society, leaving the economy in shambles and large parts of the population oppressed or ostracised.Deng’s resolution criticised his predecessor, but also called for his veneration and gave him enough power to rethink China’s foreign and economic policies, implementing significant economic reforms and opening up China to the world.Thus, the new historic resolution would make Xi Jinping Thought an official part of national policy and elevate Xi to the same level as two of the country’s most powerful past leaders.Its adoption would mean that more of Xi’s philosophies would be used in party indoctrination and to colour the way China’s history is taught. It is not clear if the resolution will be released immediately after its adoption, which is expected on Thursday, or it if might take a few days. Assuming the resolution is adopted, it would make it very likely that Xi becomes the first leader since Mao to have a third term.Party leaders already changed the constitution in 2018 to allow the possibility of more than two terms for a Chinese leader, perhaps even making an appointment a life-time position. Xi has strengthened his position so he is as powerful as either Mao or Deng, who managed to stay in key positions and pull the levers of power right up until their deaths.Ahead of this week’s meeting, party propaganda has been praising Xi.The official news agency Xinhua called the 68-year-old “a man of determination and action, a man of profound thoughts and feelings, a man who inherited a legacy and dares to innovate, and a man who has forward-looking vision and is committed to working tirelessly.”