Uphill task for Xi Jinping to retain power after zero COVID policy failure

As Chinese president Xi Jinping eyes his third tenure as the country's supreme leader, his policies have now been questioned within China as he no longer commands unquestioned loyalty from the people, said a media report.

As Chinese president Xi Jinping eyes his third tenure as the country's supreme leader, his policies have now been questioned within China as he no longer commands unquestioned loyalty from the people, said a media report. The unprecedented response came after President's Zero COVID policy began to test the patience of the Chinese people. Dozens of cities and towns, including Shanghai, went under lockdown for weeks and months, leading to a shortage of food and groceries.

According to Hongkong Post, the lockdowns have affected the economy, already weighed down by the President's actions against Chinese unicorns and big businesses to teach them who is their master. Trade is impacted, ships are neither being loaded nor unloaded in Shanghai ports, factories are shut, manufacturing is down, and inflation and prices are constantly rising.

The Chinese Communist Party recently elected President Xi as a delegate for the 20th party Congress. The decision came about at the party's Guangxi regional Congress by a unanimous vote, The Hongkong Post reported. As per the report, the CCP Central Committee nominated him as a candidate for delegate to Congress amid speculation that the date of the 20th party Congress may be advanced in view of the complex internal and external situations. The idea is to get it over with, with the least damage to Xi's image, however, that is not the case as the public image of his invincibility has been dented severely.

The Diplomat reports that for Xi to get his third term, "some institutional adjustments and explanations will be needed". Another issue for Xi is his age. Under the convention "commonly referred to as the 'seven-up and eight down rule, a cadre who is 68 or older must retire while a cadre who is 67 or younger may remain in office but Xi will benefit from the practice he established of selecting personnel on the basis of their abilities and other criteria rather than their seniority.

As Xi prepares to get re-elected for a third five-year term later this year, the Chinese Communist Party will also bring forward their political goals to portray China as more prosperous, influential, and stable under his rule in order to bolster public support for Xi's leadership. (ANI)

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)