Xi Power Grab, China Joins New Era of Strongmen

[lunasun]

BEIJING — There was a time, not so long ago, when a Chinese leader setting himself up as ruler for life would have stirred international condemnation for bucking the global trend toward greater democracy. Now, such an action seems fully in keeping with moves by many countries in the other direction.

The surprise disclosure on Sunday that the Communist Party was abolishing constitutional limits on presidential terms — effectively allowing President Xi Jinping to lead China indefinitely — was the latest and arguably most significant sign of the world’s decisive tilt toward authoritarian governance, often built on the highly personalized exercise of power.

The list includes Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt and Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, all of whom have abandoned most pretenses that they rule according to the people’s will. Authoritarianism is also reappearing in places like Hungary and Poland that barely a quarter century ago shook loose the shackles of Soviet oppression.

“Thirty years ago, with what Xi did, with what Erdogan has done, there would have been an outpouring of international concern: ‘You’re getting off the path,’ and so on,” said Michael A. McFaul, a political scientist and diplomat who, before serving as the American ambassador in Moscow from 2012 to 2014, wrote extensively on building democracies.

“Nobody is making that argument today,” he added, “certainly not Trump.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/26/world/asia/china-xi-jinping-authoritarianism.html

[SunSeeker]

1. K & R

[angrychair]

2. Trumps blueprint for our future

Republicans and trump declare some sort of state of emergency and suspend elections (2018, 2020, 2022 and so on) at least “until things are safe” and America is great again.

While I don’t really think that will happen, I would not be shocked or surprised either.

[FarCenter]

3. President Xi turns to old friends to manage economy

If politics in China resemble a complex, giant jigsaw puzzle, then the economy has to be compared to an intricate maze of uncertainty. In a flurry of speculation and statements, one crucial aspect of this conundrum has become crystal clear, President Xi Jinping looks certain to serve a third term in office.

When this is used as a “primer”, it becomes easier to crack the code into the secretive world of cabinet reshuffles and economic policy.

“[A new line-up] won’t change the fact that all big decisions regarding the direction or the pace of liberalization will be decided by President Xi,” Aidan Yao, a senior emerging Asia economist at AXA Investment Managers, told the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong.

“These people will serve, first and foremost, as advisers to [him] to implement and execute what he wants,” he added.

The proposal by the Communist Party of China’s Central Committee to scrap the two-term limit, which was announced on Sunday through the state-owned Xinhua News Agency, paves the way for President Xi to stay in power beyond 2023 after his 10-year period in office expires.

It will also allow him to hand-pick his inner circle with the economy a major priority. Grappling with excessive debt, off-balance sheet activities and market misdemeanors in the financial sector are just some of the problems on the horizon for his team.

Supply-side structural reforms, including curbing overcapacity in bloated state-owned enterprises, are other key issues.

http://www.atimes.com/article/president-xi-turns-old-friends-manage-economy/

[FarCenter]

4. What is Behind the Extension of China's Presidential Term Limits?

The Central Committee of China's Communist Party has proposed extending presidential and vice presidential tenures, and with good reason, RIA Novosti contributor Irina Alksnis writes shedding light on the risks and threats in the way of China's economic and political transition.

China's ruling Communist Party's proposal to scrap presidential term limits has nothing to do with "usurpation of power," Russian political analyst Irina Alksnis writes for RIA Novosti, explaining why the move is vitally needed for the People's Republic political system.

"China is undergoing a transition period which is very dangerous in all aspects: from the economic (the exhaustion of explosive economic growth and the need to switch to a new development model) to the geopolitical (the country's bid for global superpower status requires more and more support)," Alksnis writes.

According to the political analyst, under these circumstances the sustainability of the country's political system and its leadership has taken on a new significance.

On the other hand, the situation is complicated by the fact that over the previous few decades, favorable conditions for corruption were created and the emergence of untouchable elite groups, she noted. There is yet another problem, the analyst added: Since China's entering the global market four decades ago a considerable part of Chinese elites has become more loyal to the West rather than to its own country.

To tackle this challenge the Chinese leadership has to force the elite to repatriate its capital while at the same time fighting corruption on a phenomenal scope, she stressed.

https://sputniknews.com/analysis/201802261062010653-china-xi-power/

[lunasun]

5. K

Sputnik is a news agency, news website platform and radio broadcast service established by the Russian government-controlled news agency

[FarCenter]

6. Hence that story presumably reflects the more or less official Russian view.

Whereas the NY Times story is presumably in sync with the Council on Foreign Relations view.