President Xi Jinping is on his way to become the pre-eminent leader of China after the removal of the two-term restriction on his post.

Analysts in Delhi believe that the world will have to pay “very close” attention to what Mr. Xi thinks as he is likely to be the president of China for an indefinite period.

“Removal of the two-term restriction means that President Xi Jinping is now the pre-eminent leader of China, and the world will have to take his ambitions into consideration,” said Ashok Kantha, former Indian Ambassador to China and the head of the Institute of Chinese Studies in Delhi.

Indefinite term

The removal of the two-term limit means President Xi, who is serving his second consecutive five-year term, will now be leading China for one more decade, or perhaps remain in the post for his entire lifetime.

“By removing the two-term limit, China has given an indefinite term to President Xi. It obviously gives unprecedented power to him,” said professor B.R. Deepak of Jawaharlal Nehru University.

This development is on expected lines, Professor Alka Acharya of JNU said explaining that the move would be passed down to the lowest level of Communist Party units in China so that the party and the state structure is prepared to carry out this change. “It was a long time in the making and President Xi is unlikely to face any resistance apart from that put up by some sections of the intelligentsia. The fact that this announcement came on the state media just a day prior to an important meeting of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China means that Mr. Xi wants to take the legislature along in ensuring a third term,” Professor Acharya said.

The removal of the two-term limit obviously gives unprecedented power to himB.R. DeepakJNU professor