Why Abolishing China's Presidential Term Limits Is Such A Big Deal
In a land dominated for thousands of years by absolute monarchs, the move is historically significant and seen by Chinese liberals as a big step backward.
It took just about two weeks from the public announcement to Sunday's legislative vote that erased presidential term limits from the constitution, potentially allowing Xi Jinping to rule China indefinitely.
"After it was announced, the move sent tremors through the Communist Party's intelligentsia," observes Zhang Xixian, an expert on party politics at the Central Party School in Beijing. But thanks to heavy government censorship of media and the Internet, there was little visible debate or opposition to the move.
The term limits were one of
