Xi Jinping Wins a Third Term With a Vote of 2,952-0. No, We’re Not Kidding…

Chinese President Xi Jinping was elected to a third five-year term on Friday, putting him on course to remain in power indefinitely at a time of severe economic woes and escalating tensions with the United States and others. The Chinese people must love him! #eyeroll

The National People’s Congress’ approval of Xi’s appointment was a foregone conclusion for a leader who has marginalized potential competitors and rigged the upper levels of the ruling Communist Party with his allies since seizing power in 2012, according to the Associated Press. The NPC, whose members are appointed by the ruling party, voted for Xi 2,952 to 0. What are the odds?

In October, Xi, 69, was appointed to a third five-year term as party general secretary, breaking with a practice in which Chinese presidents handed over control once every decade. There were no candidate lists distributed, and it was assumed that Xi and those appointed to other positions ran unopposed. Apart from the process by which delegates to the congress place four ballots into boxes positioned around the large auditorium of the Great Hall of the People, the election is almost entirely cloaked in secrecy. Xi was also unanimously named commander of the People’s Liberation Army, a 2 million-member force that openly follows commands from the party rather than the country.

Second-ranked Li Qiang, who is most known for mercilessly implementing a “zero-COVID” lockdown in Shanghai this spring, is largely expected to take over as premier, theoretically in charge of the Cabinet and economy. Remember, that’s when they welded people’s apartment doors closed from the outside and let them starve. It was a message to the Chinese people. Shanghai is China’s largest city and most industrial. The people there live well, and what happens when people live well is they begin to criticize the government when they believe the government is doing something wrong. So, Xi put an end to that kind of talk.

Xi’s new term and the appointment of loyalists to top positions highlight his near-total monopoly on Chinese political power, effectively eliminating any potential opposition to his hyper-nationalistic agenda of transforming China into the biggest political, military, and economic rival to the United States, as well as the primary authoritarian challenge to the Washington-led democratic world order. While he shares the Politburo Standing Committee with six others, all have established links to Xi and can be relied on to carry out his wishes on subjects ranging from party discipline to economic management.