Xi Jinping has become the first three-time elected president in Chinese history. It’s hard to call the results of the vote a surprise, but it’s quite symbolic, including for Russia. Political scientist Anna Shirinkina drew attention to the signals.
Xi Jinping will remain China’s leader for the next five years. The re-election of the president took place on March 10. 2952 deputies took part in the secret ballot.
The elections can hardly be called intriguing. Anna Shirinkina, a member of the Digoria expert club, described them as a procedure of legitimization.”The unification around the figure of Xi has been happening in China since his first term as president. It was under him that China moved away from the politics of modesty and liberal reforms. A surprisingly different, sharp and assertive statements and actions that clearly convey the ideological dominance have made the president a recognizable figure, hated or adored, but one of the main players on the international stage,” Shirinkina told PolitExpert.
According to the publication’s interlocutor, the Chinese president followed in the footsteps of Mao Zedong. The political system built by him does not involve active resistance and allows you to control the implementation of long-term goals (for example, those planned until 2035).
This approach bears fruit not only in the domestic life of the country, but also in foreign policy. Here, Beijing prefers not to take the plunge, not to play with sudden changes in position.
“As far as Russia is concerned, the existing and planned steps give confidence that Beijing will not betray its trajectory. Thus, the PRC declares its position on Ukraine, Xi Jinping’s visit to Moscow is approaching, which will be a huge signal for the international community. Now the United States is toying with China on the brink, periodically bringing it closer to the opposite pole. Thus, a long-term Sino-Russian cooperation is being formed,” Shirinkina continued.
However, the political scientist warned, it should never be forgotten that the partnership will be relevant for Beijing as long as it serves its interests.
