Tag: Xi Jinping

Xi gets second term with powerful ally as VP

By  Laurent Thomet and Ryan McMorrow Agence France Presse China’s parliament unanimously handed President Xi Jinping a second term Saturday and elevated his right-hand man to the vice presidency, giving him a strong ally to consolidate power and handle US trade threats. Xi’s reappointment by the Communist Party-controlled legislature was a foregone conclusion, but all eyes had been on whether his former anti-corruption enforcer, Wang Qishan, would become his deputy. The National People’s Congress has […]

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China’s Xi calls for military loyalty to new constitution

BEIJING, China (AFP) — A day after he won the mandate to rule for life, President Xi Jinping called on China’s military to follow the country’s newly-amended constitution in which his political thought is now enshrined. “The whole army must strengthen its constitutional awareness, promote the constitutional spirit and be a loyal admirer, conscientious follower and staunch defender of the constitution,” Xi told military officials on Monday. China’s rubber-stamp parliament on Sunday endorsed Xi’s move […]

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China’s parliament puts Xi on course to rule for life

by Joanna CHIU / Ryan MCMORROW Agence France Presse BEIJING, China (AFP) — China’s Xi Jinping on Sunday secured a path to rule indefinitely as parliament abolished presidential term limits, handing him almost total authority to pursue a vision of transforming the nation into an economic and military superpower. The move reverses the era of “collective” leadership and orderly succession that was promoted by late paramount leader Deng Xiaoping to ensure stability following the turbulent […]

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US, China agree to keep the pressure on North Korea

by Andrew Beatty Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Donald Trump enlisted Friday the help of China’s Xi Jinping to keep sanctions pressure on North Korea, amid fears that an audacious diplomatic gambit by the US president could lead to backsliding. In an evening tweet, Trump praised a possible future agreement with the communist North as “very good” for the international community as a whole, after the US leader stunned the world by accepting […]

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Xi power play in focus as China parliament opens

by Joanna Chiu and Laurent Thomet Agence France Presse BEIJING, China (AFP) — China’s rubber-stamp parliament kicked off its most significant meeting in a generation on Monday, preparing to offer Xi Jinping a lifetime mandate to mold the Asian giant into a global superpower. Thousands of Chinese legislators gathered in the imposing Great Hall of the People in a session that will make Xi the most powerful leader since Mao Zedong, concentrating the growing might […]

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China ‘won’t sit idly by’ if US harms trade

by Julien Girault Agence France Presse China warned Sunday that it was ready to hit back if the United States damaged its economic interests, fueling fears of a trade war after President Donald Trump unveiled tariffs on steel and aluminium. Trump’s announcement on Thursday sparked a flurry of counter-threats from other nations. But Washington’s main trade rival had avoided any overt warnings of potential retaliation until now. “China doesn’t want a trade war with the […]

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China drowns out critics of lifetime Xi presidency

BEIJING, China (AFP) — China’s propaganda machine kicked into overdrive on Tuesday to defend the Communist Party’s move to lift term limits for President Xi Jinping as criticism persisted on social media in defiance of censorship. The party has shocked many observers by proposing a constitutional amendment to end the two-term limit for president, giving Xi a clear path to rule the world’s second-largest economy for life. Censors have scrambled to block critical comments on […]

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China’s Xi takes another stride in Mao’s footsteps

by Dan Martin Agence France Presse SHANGHAI, China (AFP) — Xi Jinping’s tightening grip on China had already earned the leader comparisons to Mao Zedong, but they came into even sharper focus after the party paved the way for him to assume the presidency indefinitely. State media said on Sunday that the ruling Communist Party had proposed abolishing rules limiting leaders to two five-year terms, a guideline imposed in Mao’s wake to avoid a repeat […]

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Xi poised to extend power as China set to lift term limits

by Patrick Baert Agence France Presse BEIJING, China (AFP) — Xi Jinping, China’s most powerful leader for decades, could stay in office indefinitely after the Communist Party called for the removal of presidential term limits. Xi, who is also party chief and seen as the country’s most formidable ruler since Mao Zedong, has been president since 2013 and the 64-year-old leader would have to step down in 2023 under the current system. But the party’s […]

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Trump takes ‘America First’ message to Davos elite

by Andrew Beatty and Jitendra Joshi Agence France-Presse DAVOS, Switzerland (AFP) – The world’s political and business elite headed Thursday into a compelling encounter with President Donald Trump as the United States bids to carve out a competitive edge in trade, taxes and currency rates. A day after appearing to cast aside decades of US support for a strong currency, Trump’s Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he was relaxed about the dollar’s short-term value, doing little to […]

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Trump tells Xi US trade deficit with China ‘not sustainable’: W.House

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump told Chinese leader Xi Jinping he was disappointed about Washington’s deepening trade deficit with Beijing, calling the situation “not sustainable,” the White House said Tuesday. In telephone talks, Trump “expressed disappointment that the United States’ trade deficit with China has continued to grow,” the White House said in a statement. “President Trump made clear that the situation is not sustainable.” According to figures published Friday by […]

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‘Don’t fear death’: China’s Xi urges blunt call to PLA

BEIJING, China (AFP) — President Xi Jinping has issued a blunt call for China’s military to be ready for war and unafraid to die defending the country, as geopolitical tensions mount in Asia. Xi’s exhortation to the world’s largest fighting force, parts of which were revealed only late Thursday, came during what state media characterized as a rare address by the Chinese leader to the country’s entire military. Xi cemented his status as China’s most […]

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