First modification:
With the unanimous vote of the almost 3,000 delegates that make up the National People’s Congress, Xi Jinping became president of the People’s Republic of China for the third consecutive term, something he has only been able to achieve after changing the Constitution in 2018 to eliminate the restriction of two terms.
No one doubted that Xi Jinping would be elected for a third consecutive presidential term this Friday and so it happened. With the unanimous vote of the almost 3,000 delegates that make up the National People’s Congress, the Chinese legislature, and with subsequent loud applause, Xi Jinping became the president with the longest terms in power in the People’s Republic of China since the days of Mao Zedong. .
His face gave little sign of joy. He seriously bowed to the delegates who ratified the president as the leader of the three powers in the country: the State, the Party, with increasing weight over the state framework, and the Army, since Xi also controls the Central Military Commission. .
Power over the party had already been ratified in October 2022 during the 20th Congress of the Communist Party of China. The bases for all this were laid by Xi himself in 2018, when he promoted a constitutional reform to abolish the restriction of a maximum of two consecutive terms and included his thesis, which reinforced the cult of the leader.
In this way, a term established by the reformist Deng Xiaoping in 1982 was repealed to avoid the figure of a supreme leader, as happened with Zedong. For now, Xi, 69, will rule for the next five years with no future successor in sight.
At a subsequent press conference, the spokeswoman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mao Ning, assured that “the unanimous election of President Xi Jinping fully reflects the common aspiration of the entire party, the military and people of all ethnic groups in the country.” .
“It fully represents the will of the party, the will of the peoples, and the high degree of unity of the will of the country,” he added.
The first congratulations to Xi
Through a statement, Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated his “friend” and assured that the re-election “is a testimony of the recognition of his merits.”
Also He expressed that it supposes “broad support for his policy of greater social and economic development of China, and the protection of national interests on the world stage.”
Putin added that the two allies will continue fruitful cooperation between the two countries. “Russia highly appreciates her personal contribution to strengthening relations of comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation between our states,” the Kremlin chief stressed.
From North Korea also came the congratulations of Kim Jong Un. In a similar vein to Putin, he viewed Xi’s re-election as “an expression of the deep trust and support” of the Communist Party and the Chinese people for their leader.
My congratulations to President Xi Jinping on his election for a new term in the People’s Republic of China. Friend of Venezuela and a leader with whom we will continue along the paths of building a new humanity with a common destiny, cooperation and well-being. pic.twitter.com/ICQqyjyUED
— Nicolas Maduro (@NicolasMaduro) March 10, 2023
For his part, the president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, expressed in a tweet: “Congratulations to President Xi Jinping on his election for a new term in the People’s Republic of China. Friend of Venezuela and a leader with whom we will continue along the paths of building a new humanity with a common destiny, cooperation and well-being”.
The challenges that the president will face
This five-year period that Xi Jinping faces will begin with important challenges, especially in economic matters and international relations. The country closed 2022 with a growth of 3%, less than what it was used to. Among the reasons are the poorly managed exit from the crisis due to Covid-19 and its zero Covid policy, as well as the real estate crisis. The Government expects to grow by 5% in 2023.
In international matters, the last months of his term have been marked by growing tensions with the United States in relation to the island of Taiwan, which Beijing continues to consider an unsubmissive redoubt for its power. Also for the downing of the Chinese spy balloon over US territory.
“We will continue to expand China-US relations based on the principle of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, cooperation, and win-win results. We hope that the US side can also meet China in the same direction and promote Sino-US relations to return to a healthy and stable path,” the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said on Friday.
The international accusations of lack of respect for human rights, with special focus on the situation of the Uyghur Muslim minority, and its position regarding Russia in the conflict with Ukraine, are also two points that Xi Jinping must handle with caution in this new command period.
With EFE, Reuters and local media
#Jinping #consolidates #power #China #reelected #unprecedented #term