“I had no idea that such a change of term would be possible and learnt about it from the Xinhua (official news agency) report. The cancellation of the term of office is a matter of personal interest to every Chinese citizen. We think it is going back to the Mao era,” Li Datong, the former editor of the influential China Youth Daily whose open letter criticising the move created ripples online, said in an interview. On Sunday, the Communist Party of China proposed the removal of a clause in the Constitution that limits a president to two consecutive terms. Xi’s name and ideology, like those of Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping, have been enshrined in the Constitution.

Source: Hindustan Times February 28, 2018 11:21 UTC