The presidency is a largely nominal office in the Chinese political system but it has advantages for a leader looking for a bigger role in world affairs, analysts say
Xi Jinping’s push to repeal the term limits of the presidency, a largely nominal office, could be driven in part by his global ambitions and desire to institutionalise the Communist Party as the state, analysts said.
While Xi’s intention to stay in power beyond two five-year terms was no surprise to many China watchers, Beijing’s announcement on Sunday of a planned amendment to the two-term clause in the constitution so early in his second term did catch many off guard.
They said the announcement that Xi could stay on beyond 2023 also sent a message to cadres to abandon any hopes of deferring Xi’s policies by “waiting him out”.
In Chinese politics, real power rests in the positions of the party’s general secretary and the chairman of the Central Military Commission, with the presidency the least important of the three offices Xi holds.
Since there is no written limit on his tenure as the party and military chief, Xi could theoretically cling on to power by breaking with recent precedent and not stepping down from these two positions. But he would not be able to represent China as the head of state without the presidency, observers said.
“He could have [stayed in power] as both party general secretary and chairman of the CMC, but without changing the presidential statute he would technically not have been able to represent China on the world stage. This is a clear indication that Xi plans to stay in power indefinitely,” said David Shambaugh, a professor of political science and international affairs at George Washington University.
In a departure from late leader Deng Xiaoping’s maxim of keeping a low profile, Xi has actively sought to bring China closer to the centre of the world’s stage and expand its global influence.
In his first term, Xi made 28 overseas trips to more than 50 countries – more than any of his predecessors in the same period.
Change to Chinese presidency term limits could signal overhaul of role
Andrew Nathan, a political-science professor and China expert at Columbia University, said the presidency was more important internationally than domestically.
“If he stays on as president after 2023, he can continue to meet with other heads of state on an equal basis,” Nathan said.
But in a practical sense, holding onto all three titles at the same time would also save Xi the trouble or risk of having to share power – even if it is in name only – with someone, or give a false perception to the world that there were two top leaders in China.
“It’s been clear for some time that Xi is unwilling to share power with anyone – not even with a relatively weak premier at his side,” said Patricia Thornton, associate professor of Chinese politics at the University of Oxford.
