The Chinese Communist Party has just concluded its twice in a decade party congress. This was a historic meeting as it marked the elevation of President Xi as a"great leader" and incorporated his name in the constitution of China on a par with Mao Tse Tung and Deng Xiaoping. He has now been given another five-year term, but by incorporating his name in the constitution, Xi for all practical purposes is a leader as long as he lives, according to CNN.
Xi has become China's most powerful leader in decades and the stage has been set for the authoritarian leader to tighten his grip over the country while pursuing an aggressive foreign policy and military expansion.
With Xi as the supreme leader, an attack on him is tantamount to an attack on the party and China itself and could land the accuser a stringent jail term.
Xi will now head the seven-member Politburo Standing Committee which is staffed by his handpicked men. Despite this, power will remain concentrated in the hands of Xi, who is now a virtual dictator of China as opined by Times of India.
Flashback
A flashback in history will show that in 1934, a German leader of the National Socialist Party similarly got himself elected by supplicating members of the Reichstag. Comparisons are always odious, but one can't avoid the similarity between the two events. With his name in the constitution, Xi has become the nation's ultimate authority, likely giving him the last word on all major decisions.
He is now on par with the greats of Chinese Communist Party rule like Mao and Deng. Mao is credited with laying the foundation of the present Industrial power and nuclear weapons program while Deng ushered in economic reforms that helped China to catch up with the West and Japan.
President Xi
President Xi has a clear vision of China's role on the global stage and he believes that the all the policies and international agreements reflecting western thought need to be rejected.
This caused China to reject the decision of the International Tribunal on its claim in the South China Sea. By building a first overseas base at Djibouti in Africa, China has signalled its arrival as a world power, intent on dominating the world. This is a first in 4000 years of Chinese history.
Sobering thought
It is well to remember, that the German regime and later the regime of Josef Stalin lasted just a few decades and were overthrown. This should be a sobering thought for President Xi. As it stands, Xi has become the nation's ultimate authority, likely giving him the last word on all major decisions.
