Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s moves to consolidate power may have pitted him not only against rival officials, but also the political system itself.
In early August, the state-run Xinhua news agency announced that the Communist Youth League, a long-time springboard for up-and-coming regime leaders, would be reformed. Now there is talk of—and some support for—structural changes at the top level of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
The current system of Party rule, whereby the Politburo Standing Committee has supreme authority, has become a discussion point on Sina Weibo, a major Chinese social media site.
In comments worded carefully to avoid censorship, netizens participating in the topic voiced support for a presidential system of governance, in which the leader—Xi, in this case—wields authority. The support has come in tandem with calls for the rule of law, as well as denunciations of corruption.
Some mentioned the need for a “strong figure during the transition from rule of man to rule of law.”
“It’s only correct that the right system be run by the right person,” said an internet user from central China’s Henan Province, who cited as a lesson the unsuccessful early attempts at creating a Chinese republic. “Sun Yat-sen created a great system, but the real leader, Yuan Shikai, didn’t like it. However upset Sun was, he couldn’t do anything, since Yuan had power.”
