Xi sidelines his vice president, accumulates more power, makes new enemies

Special to WorldTribune.com

It has been an ingrained tradition for American vice-presidents to complain that their main job is attending state funerals in other countries.

Given the fact that the Xi Jinping administration has reiterated that they will never copy political systems or values from the United States, it is surprising that Vice-President Li Yuanchao has essentially been replicating what his American counterparts are famous for doing.

Vice-President Li, a member of the Communist Party’s Politburo, was the Chinese representative at the funeral of the revered former prime minister of Singapore Lee Kuan Yew. In December 2013, Li was on hand for the funeral of South Africa’s legendary president Nelson Mandela.

The surprising mutation of the role of the Chinese vice-presidency is remarkable given the fact that Li’s predecessors have included President Xi (who was Vice-President from 2008 to 2013) and President Hu Jintao (vice-president from 1998 to 2003).

In theory, Li has important foreign-policy portfolios.

Read Complete Article.

Xi sidelines his vice president, accumulates more power, makes new enemies added by World Tribune on March 31, 2015
View all posts by World Tribune →