Communist Party To Allow Xi To Serve Beyond 2022

The Communist Party is proposing to change the constitution that limits Chinese presidents to serving two straight terms, paving the way for Xi Jinping to serve beyond 2022.

In an English release, the Xinhua News Agency said on Sunday the Party's Central Committee is mooting the idea of removing the barriers for presidents and vice presidents.

It's also proposing to write Xi's "Thought on Socialism with Chinese characteristics for a New Era" into the constitution. President Xi, who turns 65 in June, has been serving as president since 2012. If the constitution stays as it is now, he will finish his term as leader in 2022.

China analyst Mark O'Neill said he thinks President Xi is trying to stay in power until he dies - the way Mao Zedong did.

"In terms of the history of the Party this is a very major development because [Xi] is tearing up this norm" of having presidents serving two terms, O'Neill said.

"He's saying he wants to serve for as long as he wants and that could be for another 20 years," the analyst said. (Xinhua)