A critic of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Professor Xu Zhangrun, was suspended from his teaching post at the country’s top university. It was reportedly caused by an essay he published scrutinizing the removal of presidential term limit.
Xu’s fellow professor, Guo Yuhua, at the Tsinghua University told CNN that he was barred from performing his duties in the university. Aside from teaching, the law professor was also a researcher and a tutor at the educational institution. Xu is now placed under investigation purportedly because of his 2018-published essay where he referred to Xi as a “supreme leader.”
The said essay, titled “Imminent Fears, Immediate Hope,” listed the restoration of presidential term limits as one of his “hopes” for the country. It can be recalled that the Chinese government revised its constitution and practically allowed Xi to remain in position for an indefinite period.
Bloomberg reported in March 2018 that the constitutional change was approved by the National People’s Congress after only five of the 3,000 delegates voted against it. Otherwise, Xi Jinping would have needed to step down in 2023.
“Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, we had a ‘Supreme Leader’ with no checks on his power,” Xu wrote in his paper. “How could people not have all kinds of strange imaginings and new fears?” Xu then said that he hopes the National People’s Congress will review its decision and restore the presidential term limit for Xi and his successors. The government body annually holds a congressional meeting in March.
However, with Xu’s suspension, it seems like restoring the limitations to Xi’s power is unlikely. With the suspension coming from a very influential institution, it would not be surprising to see it affect other citizens critical of Xi’s government. Tsinghua University is currently hailed as the best university in China, 2nd in Asia, and 22nd in the world, according to the Times Higher Education.
Meanwhile, Xu Zhangrun told the New York Times that he has been expecting for something like this to happen. “I don’t know what they’ll do next. I’ve been mentally preparing for this for a long time. At the worst, I could end up in prison,” Xi Jinping's critic said.