Long Live Emperor Xi

 

Xi Jinping's plan to rule for life is coming together

In the span of a few days, two key developments have unfolded in China, both directly connected to the bid by Xi Jinping to become leader for life.   One is what is called the "third historical resolution," which will be adopted during a key political meeting from Nov. 8 to Nov. 11. The other is the emergence of a timetable for Xi's new political goal of "common prosperity."     The Chinese Communist Party has adopted such a resolution on history twice in the past: first in 1945 and again in 1981. The two leaders behind them, Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping, both held power until they died. Xi looks to follow their path.   If the current leader does stay on beyond next year's party congress, then "common prosperity" is set to be the era's defining phrase. The Oct. 16 edition of the Qiushi Journal, the party's theoretical publication, carried an August speech by Xi that outlined this new political goal.   In it, he pledged to ensure substantive progress toward correcting the nation's income inequality, resulting in equal access to basic public services, by 2035. This marked the first time that a timeline for common prosperity was put forth. What is the significance? Such a grandiose goal cannot be expected to be met by 2027, the end of Xi's expected third term. Hence the buzz about a fourth term, from 2027 to 2032.