{"id":6016,"date":"2018-02-27T18:37:18","date_gmt":"2018-02-27T18:37:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thejetboy.com\/?p=6016"},"modified":"2018-03-16T12:36:46","modified_gmt":"2018-03-16T12:36:46","slug":"seeing-the-big-picture-xi-jinpings-power-grab","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thejetboy.com\/seeing-the-big-picture-xi-jinpings-power-grab\/","title":{"rendered":"Seeing the Big Picture: Xi Jinping’s Power Grab…"},"content":{"rendered":"
Following Mao Zedong’s death in 1976– In light of the cultural revolution and Civil War in China which killed tens of thousands of people– his successor\u00a0decentralized power from the hand’s of one-man to a handful of high-ranking Party officials. Creating hope that China would eventually make a move towards a real and stable democracy. However, in a move that has shocked the world, the Communist Party of China (CCP) on Sunday abolished the presidential term limit and cleared the way for its present party head and the President of China to become a virtual dictator. Though the People’s Republic of China has always belonged to the communist party, the recent power-grabbing move by Xi Jinping has now officially converted it back into a one-man state. Ever since he took power in late 2012, Jinping has been consolidating his power on both the national and party level. Be it his vow for a \u201cgreat rejuvenation\u201d to restore China to its ancient prominence and glory, strengthing it military or spreading China’s diplomatic sphere of influence by a well-planned debt mechanism, he had made it clear that he means business. And by using the anti-graft campaign as a tool to go after the members of the\u00a0Shanghai clique,<\/a>\u00a0he has showcased his capabilities to his political opponents.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n While this move may\u00a0seem to be a sign of growing power and influence of\u00a0 Xi Jinping, it could actually be a sign of weakness. A sign that showcases his inability or unwillingness to face a political opponent and his lust for absolute power. A move that could reduce his popularity and potentially make him more vulnerable to criticism\u00a0if things go south for China. The 2 term limit on the presidents by the CCP had insured smooth power transitions that served the Party well for 35 years and enabled it to avoid damaging schisms that have plagued other Communist regimes. However, this move essentially\u00a0negates this institutionalization and has\u00a0lead to the feeling of resentment amongst his party members. A feeling that might as well lead to some high octane drama in the near future and spur instability in the world’s most populous country.\u00a0 Although the world has not yet fully understood the graveness of this situation, the Chinese people have already started to feel the burn. The “Great Firewall” swiftly censored and controlled\u00a0the flurry of discussion and criticism on Chinese social media and comments on posts by state broadcaster CCTV announcing the news was deleted. As were those on the People’s Daily newspaper, Xinhua news agency, and searches for key terms like”Winnie the Pooh,”, “ascension to the throne,” and “term limits” were blocked.<\/p>\n