Written by- ANUJ AGRAWAL

IIM SAMBALPUR
PGP 1

China - President for life - Impact on the world

“The only thing that is Constant is Change -”

This famous saying by Heraclitus seems to be proven wrong by China. The First man in China
i.e. the President Mr. Xi Jinping has got the right to stay in power till perpetuity. This means that
Xi Jinping can rule after his completion of the second term in 2023. The announcement did
receive criticism on social media. However, China, being a communist country, did away with
many articles condemning the issue and published write-ups praising him. Mr. Jinping is known
to be the most powerful leader of China since Mao Zedong. There are fears that this move may
lead to re-emergence of Mao’s era. His control of the main pillars of the Chinese state- the party,
the government and the military have given him this level of strength. The party made him the
core leader in 2016, thus granting him with a special stature. He has done substantial work in the
external policy of China, particularly in Geopolitics. He has launched massive infrastructure
projects across the world as part of the Belt and Road initiative.

China’s CPC members voting to abolish presidential term limits (Source: vox.com)
 The Chinese President has done a lot to curb corruption. The CDIC (Central Discipline
Inspection Committee) is the institution which has been proactive in Jinping’s anti-corruption
stance. Over the past five years, it has developed under vice-premier Wang Qishan as the most
feared and immensely powerful agency through which corrupt officials and business figures can
be investigated. Many important personalities including senior military figures, business tycoons,
and media personnel have been caught by CDIC. If he continues to do so, China may improve its
rank in transparency index. As per the corruption perception index, China is ranked 77 out of 180
countries. The rank of China has appreciated from 100 in 2014 to 77 in 2017 during Jinping’s
rule (Figure-1). A non-corrupt government helps in country’s economic prosperity. If China
becomes less corrupt, more FDI may flow into it thereby making India less favorable for
investment. Xi Jinping made environmental protection a priority. He has fined many companies
for not obeying pollution norms. China has affirmed its commitment to reducing pollution in
Paris climate change summit despite US withdrawal. A better environment is good for everyone.
It makes industries invest in R&D to reduce pollution without impacting their output.

Corruption rank
120

100

80

60

40

20

0
2014 2015 2016 2017

Figure-1 Corruption perception index rank of China (Source: Transparency.org)

Xi Jinping has given a lot of importance to scientific research and technology. The number of
patents and research papers published by China has increased in the last decade. The number of
Global tech unicorns has surged from 10 to 50 in just ten years. This means China is trying to
advance its research and development wing. Additionally, China has been very proactive in its
geopolitical stand. Initiatives such as BRI (Belt Road initiative), military expansion in East
China sea and Construction of artificial islands in the South China Sea has caused some troubles
for its neighbors particularly Japan and India. Mr. Jinping has been a propagator of globalization.
With the US going for protectionist measures such as tariffs on Steel and Aluminum imports (30
and 10 percent respectively), his stand for globalization may benefit the global economy.
As far as India is concerned, Xi Jinping’s BRI initiative and Doklam issue have caused some
tensions between the two economic giants. Since a part of BRI passes through POK (Pakistan
occupied Kashmir), India has shown its resistance to it. China has also been against India joining
the NSG (Nuclear Supplier’s Group). However, Xi Jinping’s government has shown readiness to
discuss such matters. So, his occupying the chair for longer duration may be good for India as it
will help in bilateral talks for solving these crucial issues. China’s stance of not resisting FATF
(Financial Action Task Force) to put Pakistan on terrorist funding watch list is a move in the
right direction that could create peace between the two countries. Irrespective of the reasons why
China is not supporting Pakistan on FATF issue, China is frustrated with Pakistan which is a
good sign for India. All in all, Xi Jinping’s long-term government may be good for India.
The biggest fear surrounding Jinping becoming the President for his life is that it may open
doors for the beginning of a new Mao’s era. There is skepticism of Xi Jinping becoming the next
Kim Jong Un, ruler of North Korea. Fear of getting overthrown does act as a motivator.
Eliminating fear of getting overthrown, as in the case of Xi Jinping may lead a leader to become
complacent in his work. War is also possible between China and other countries if Xi Jinping
becomes a ruler for perpetuity. Historically, it has been observed that dictators are the ones who
have caused war as they see it as a way to exert power on their citizens. However, looking at
Jinping’s background and his past work, it may not happen. What actually will happen only time
will tell.
References

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March 2018.

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https://www.vox.com/world/2018/3/11/17106242/china-xi-jinping-president-for-life assessed on
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