Xi Jinping began his unprecedented third term as the president of the People’s Republic of China this past week after announcing his reinstatement at the five-yearly Communist Party congress. While it may sound like “more of the usual” going forward, there is a question as to what this third term means for the future of the country and its people.
Jinping abolished term limits in 2018, which led many people in China and around the world to believe that the president would stay in power for a third term.
“The fact that he extended his presidency to a third term is really not a surprise to me,” said “M,” a student in Hong Kong who asked to remain anonymous. “The reason why he extended [the presidency] while he was president was because he wanted to continue being president.”
With this new term, Jinping seems focused on surrounding himself with loyalists who do not question his decisions. This was even the speculated reason for why former president Hu Jintao was escorted out of the closing ceremony of the Communist Party congress in a dramatic unscripted moment.
“Well, the standard interpretation has been that Xi Jinping has packed the standing committee of the Politburo with loyalists to him,” said Stanley Rosen, a professor of political science and international relations at the University of Southern California. “Those people who did not come up with him and haven’t worked with him previously and that he didn’t think were really 100% of his team, even though they claimed allegiance to Xi Jinping… they’ve all been eliminated.”
People from China recognize this as well, and feel a dangerous omen for the country moving forward.
“I feel like one thing is that definitely overall it is not good for the country or good for the people,” said “D,” a student who was born in Beijing, but is currently studying at USC. “I know that there are seven people in the highest power in the country and he appointed all of them… It makes it easier for him and it gives him more control with what he wants to do with the country.”
In looking into the future, the question begs what Jinping plans to do next, not only within China, but internationally as well.
With the “zero-Covid” policy still in place, lockdowns continue, closing borders even to citizens and establishing strict quarantine measures for positive testers along with anyone that may have been exposed.
“You don’t even need to test positive to go to quarantine, and I think that says a lot about what he wants to do,” said “D.” “Before the National Congress of the Communist Party last week, my mom went on a business trip to another province. Her ‘health code’ turned red when she was preparing to fly back to Beijing for the mere reason that she was in another province and that the National Congress was going to start soon back in Beijing.”
Meanwhile, other controversial issues including the Uyghur genocide, the National Security Law that placed Hong Kong under mainland jurisdiction and the growing tensions with Taiwan plague the country.
“Xinjiang and the Tibet issues and the Hong Kong and Taiwan issues… I think he’s trying to gain control over Hong Kong and Taiwan again and he’s trying to eliminate people who are not ethnically Han,” said “D.”
Now, with the increased pressure after United States Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, the stakes for a potential takeover of Taiwan hang in the balance.
“They also realize it’s becoming more and more difficult because such a high percentage of people in Taiwan consider themselves Taiwanese and not even Chinese,” said Rosen. “The United States is more and more moving toward almost a de facto recognition, without saying it, of Taiwan as a separate entity, a separate country.”
At the congress, Jinping was met with thunderous applause after declaring that China would “strive for peaceful reunification,” but that it would “never promise to renounce the use of force.”
The congress and the third term sparked rare demonstrations in the mainland, as some people hung banners in protest with handwritten messages like “Say no to Covid test, yes to food. No to lockdown, yes to freedom. No to lies, yes to dignity. No to cultural revolution, yes to reform. No to great leader, yes to vote. Don’t be a slave, be a citizen.” Another even read, “Go on strike, remove dictator and national traitor Xi Jinping.”
“M” cited these demonstrations saying, “That was a really iconic moment and I was really moved by this.”
For her, having studied abroad as an international student has allowed her to reflect on the state of her country. She said that while people still like their country, the notion of nationalism did not really come to the forefront until Jinping’s presidency. Having grown up in an educational system that taught children to recite “socialist values,” “M” felt that being a nationalist is a necessity for one to live a normal life.
“It was not a question to consider, we were told that we have to like the country… you don’t need a reason, you just need to love it,” “M” said. “[The people] really forgot what it’s like to really have a voice.”
“M” said that she has seen the opportunity people have to freely discuss social topics and criticize the government in the United States without being labeled. She cites how witnessing students discuss social issues ranging from LAPD or the privatization of jails has shifted her point of view on her freedom of speech and the media.
“I no longer feel afraid of speaking [Jinping]’s name,” said “M.” “When western media reports on China, some things get distorted because it’s based on stereotypes… but at least we have a channel for free speech.”
As Jinping’s third term begins, citizens of the country and the world wait in cautious and growing nervous anticipation as to what is next on the horizon.