On February 24, 2018, an official statement was issued announcing that the ruling party in China, the Communist Party, will put an end to the policy which limits the president’s right to stay in office to two election terms.
According to this new legislation, we could expect to witness the current President of China, Xi Jinping, to rule the country with the largest population for an indefinite period. We cannot deny that this may stir fear among other countries, since it seems as if Asia’s intimidating dragon could tilt towards dictatorship as a form of government.
When he became President in 2013, he implemented certain unpopular measures such as increasing censorship, imprisoning advocates, spokespersons and all those claimed to express any kind of opinion against the government. Afterwards, he countered the harshness of his policies by means of a well-devised campaign of propaganda. Since other countries have business and financial interests in China, all his measures were overlooked. Only last year, his political philosophy was included in the Constitution.
Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said, “I believe that’s a decision for China to make about what’s best for their country. But, as you know, the President has talked about term limits in a number of capacities during the campaign. It’s something that he supports here in the United States. But that’s a decision that would be up to China.”
Let’s wait and see what this situation brings about in Asia.