, Columnist
What Happens When Chinese Leaders Cling to Power? It Isn’t Pretty
Nearing his second decade in office, Xi Jinping is following in the footsteps of Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping. Only one of them managed to avoid disaster.
Xi is entering dangerous territory.
Source: Bloomberg
This article is for subscribers only.
Chinese President Xi Jinping will celebrate his greatest political triumph when the Chinese Communist Party opens its 20th national congress on Oct. 16. All but assured of a third term as the party’s general secretary, Xi has elevated himself into the same company as the CCP’s two other giants, Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping.
As Xi and his supporters toast his victory, however, they would be wise to examine how differently Mao and Deng handled their own second decades in power.