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China abolishes presidential term limits, consolidating Xi Jinping's power

11 March 2018·Politics & governance·China·
11 March 2018Date
Politics & governanceCategory
0Empires active
Date
11 March 2018
Category
Politics & governance
Region
China
Era
Contemporary
Significance

On 11 March 2018 China's National People's Congress voted overwhelmingly, 2,958 in favour with only two opposed, to amend the constitution and remove the two-term limit on the presidency, clearing the way for Xi Jinping to remain in office indefinitely.

The change overturned a norm established under Deng Xiaoping in 1982 that had been intended to prevent a return to lifelong one-man rule of the kind associated with Mao Zedong. The same session enshrined 'Xi Jinping Thought' in the constitution and created powerful new anti-corruption supervisory bodies. Already general secretary of the Communist Party and chair of the military, Xi thereby concentrated authority to a degree unseen in decades, and in 2022 secured a precedent-breaking third term as party leader. The consolidation marked a decisive move away from collective leadership toward strongman rule, with far-reaching implications for China's governance, its assertive foreign policy and its strategic rivalry with the United States.

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John Keay

Sweeping, readable single-volume narrative of China from its beginnings to today.

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