The Chinese Communist Party under President Xi Jinping intends to drop the two-year term limit put in place following the deaths of Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping. It looks like President Xi is hoping to keep his position of power for many years, so it would be prudent to look to the past to predict his future policy. He has been famously adept at controlling dissent and using a cover of anti-corruption campaigns to suppress his political opponents. He has stressed and enforced the idea of a strong centralized government. His stances on Taiwan and Hong Kong in relation to Chinese sovereignty have been strict.
Questions
1. American response to this topic has been surprisingly sparse. In fact, the entire world has been quiet about the Chinese Communist Party's intentions. Why has such an important event elicited only a mediocre response from the world stage?
2. Many find Xi Jinping's posturing to lengthen his stay in office frighteningly reminiscent of Mao Zedong's dictatorship. Should America be more concerned with this issue?
3. Based on Xi Jinping's past policy, what should be expected from a China under his "reign?" Will China's intention to lead the world in green energy production be affected by Xi's newfound power?
Here's a second article that was published while I was posting:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/26/world/asia/china-xi-jinping-authoritarianism.html
In addition, I'm just going to slip in a few statements in editorial, because this isn't necessarily well-sourced. I've spoken to current residents of China on this issue, and many support Xi in his every move. He's very popular because of his "anti-corruption" campaigns, which we perceive as a cover-up for his suppression of government opponents. He has also extended (inefficient) welfare programs for rural areas, gaining the support of the lower class (I couldn't really find an article for that, thus it is in editorial). Fun fact: Xi has inserted his name into the Communist constitution! What a time to be alive! http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-china-xi-constitution-20171023-story.html
I think America should be more concerned with Xi Jin Ping wanting a longer term. In this CNN article [https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/27/politics/trump-china-challenge-xi-jinping-president/index.html] sort of gives a warning to Trump. A former deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asia says that if Xi does extend his term, it "will give Xi more flexibility to vigorously pursue his domestic political and economic agendas as well as his foreign policy ambitions". Not only will this affect the economy and politics in China, its changes things for the US too. I think that since Xi Jin Ping has a lot of support in China, he is able to have a bigger influence about green energy production.
ReplyDeleteDue to the past history of China with the US, I believe the US should very much be concerned with the idea of a longer term for the president. His anti-corruption campaigns are a show in order to cover up how he suppresses other opponents. However due to the vast majority of people who support him, he must be helping them out yet his plans are not the greatest. I believe if he has a longer reign he will be able to implement better laws but the rest of the world should be aware of his ideas if he plans to extend his term as it will affect all of us. China is a very large country and it has a lot of influence on the rest of the world. If Xi is very serious about green energy production he can gain a lot of support and implement his ideas in China very quickly due to all of his support. Overall, if the majority of the world agrees with his plans and many people support his ideas he should be able to stay in power because he will do great things for China.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/xi-jinping-china-communist-party-leader-president-power-remove-criticism-satire-online-internet-a8229401.html
I think the main reason international response has felt incomplete is due to fear of Chinese retaliation. China hasn't been quiet when the international community tries to prevent it from doing what it wants, and a threat of political turmoil likely would not be treated differently. Especially in the US, the majority of our products are manufactured in China and an attempt at a government overthrow would not sit well.
ReplyDeleteThe rest of the world hasn't responded dramatically because China is a powerful country. No one wants to provoke it. President Xi Jinping has also distracted the public with his apparently noble campaigns against corrupt "tigers and flies." I think the US should definitely pay more attention to what's happening in China. What Xi Jinping is doing is reminiscent of many other dictators: he's taking all the power for himself by abolishing the term limit, and he's turning himself into a god figure by plastering his face on newspapers and inserting himself into their constitution. What's scarier is that Chinese citizens still support him.
ReplyDeleteI believe as Xi Jinping claims more power, China will become more totalitarian again, erasing the steps towards freedom that have been taken in the past. Countries without term limits like Russia have had corrupt leaders like Putin maintain power for extended periods of time, and allowing Jinping to do the same is a threat to Chinese freedom. He has previously advocated for censorship of the internet and has been aggressive in his foreign policy, especially about the South China Sea and Taiwan. If he holds absolute power, his interests could also become much more selfish, halting efforts for China to become more environmentally friendly.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you in that we should be wary of Xi Jinping's extended term. This was the same man who had all Chinese websites that insulted Kim Jung Un taken down. His intentions and values do not align with America's. However, I disagree with the point on climate change. If anything, Xi Jinping will want to uphold a better international image to prevent foreign interference, so his increased power may allow him to force more strict policy in regards to fighting climate change.
DeleteLike Alex suggested, the most likely reason this has received little response internationally due to the influence China wields, and the threat it poses if the international community did protest. China’s increasing military power could also be another deterrent, as well as the influence it has on other countries’ economies. The responses from the United States—or the lack of thereof—is probably due to how our current president sees the Chinese threat “chiefly in terms of the bilateral trade deficit, which is not itself a threat.” This misguided concern may have affected how most Americans perceive China, and as there are less emphasis on China being communist, the people hence would be less concerned. Americans should definitely be more concerned, as this is reminiscent of Mao Zedong's rule—absolutely dictatorial. Ironically, the limit was first placed so China would “never again have to live through the chaos and crimes of Mao’s one-man rule.” And as Xi Jinping has repealed aforementioned limit, it is a good indicator as to how his rule will be like: quite dictatorial, it is likely that their influences will only grow, which is not ideal—for the West, at least—and is something that America needs to be more concerned about, though whether it will be is highly unlikely. I do not know a lot about who is leading the green energy effort in China, but going off what others have said, Xi Jinping will now have much more power to implement and enforce green energy production, and China’s intention to lead the world in green energy most likely will not be hampered: on the contrary, it will most likely increase. We can probably expect China to remain as oppressive (to us) as it was previously—perhaps even more so. However, Xi’s “thirst for power has raised the chance of devastating instability” which is something the world should be wary for.
ReplyDelete(Tangent: The situation of Xi Jinping being popular for his “anti-corruption campaigns,” and his ineffective welfare programs may be because of—to put it bluntly—ignorance, much like how it is in North Korea—it’s all in the perspective (and experience) I suppose.)
(The Economist article on this topic which also suggests some ways the West can respond to this:https://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21737517-it-bet-china-would-head-towards-democracy-and-market-economy-gamble-has-failed-how)
America should pay more attention to this issue because China is a huge country with a lot of power. Xi is trying to break the rules by extending his power, and he may abuse his power. He will have a lot of influence in green energy production, but I'm not sure if he will use his power to help. Xi may be trying to completely control China, and he may turn China into a dictatorship. He is just hungry for power, and we do not know what he will do with it. The US needs to pay closer attention to this because the freedom of the Chinese citizens can easily be taken away.
ReplyDelete