Communist Party of China Moves to Extend Xi's Rule

Council on Foreign Relations Newsletter If you are unable to see the message below, click here to view. February 26, 2018 Daily News Brief   TOP OF THE AGENDA Communist Party of China Moves to Extend Xi's Rule China's ruling party announced that it intends to abolish presidential term limits, paving the way for President Xi Jinping to stay in power indefinitely. The announcement comes a week ahead of a meeting by the national legislature, which is expected to rubber-stamp the constitutional revision (Bloomberg) proposed by the party. The congress was already expected to formally approve Xi's second term in office, which will keep him in office through 2023 (NYT). It is unclear if Xi will also seek to stay on as the party's general secretary (WSJ), considered the country's most powerful political post, past an unwritten retirement age of sixty-eight. ANALYSIS "[The proposal] would abolish an institutional check introduced after Mao Zedong's death in 1976 and risks a return to internecine power struggles that hobbled China during past leadership successions," Chun Han Wong writes for the Wall Street Journal. "The party's move comes as Mr. Xi has proclaimed an era of China's greatness, when the country, he says, will take what he sees as its rightful place as a top global power," Jane Perlez and Javier C. Hernandez write for the New York Times. "Xi's term since 2013 has been marked by a mostly steady economy but also periods of volatility in the financial markets, typically triggering government intervention. Challenges loom, too, including taming the towering debt pile, the threat of slower economic growth, and dealing with the aging population," Justina Lee writes for Bloomberg. PACIFIC RIM South Korea Says North Open to U.S. Talks As the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang came to a close (WaPo), North Korean envoys told their counterparts from the South they are open to dialogue with the United States. The White House said any talks should represent the "first steps" (FT) on a path toward denuclearization. CFR's Scott A. Snyder discusses Seoul's diplomatic goals as host of the winter games. SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA Global Watchdog Warns Pakistan Over Terrorist Funding A thirty-seven-country financial task force chose not to place Pakistan on a list of nations that insufficiently crack down on terrorism financing (Dawn), but officials warned that Islamabad could be added if it does not develop a strategy with the watchdog by June. INDIA: Hundreds of people have fled their homes (Al Jazeera) in the Baramulla district of India-controlled Kashmir since a rise in cross-border attacks between India and Pakistan this year. MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA Syria Cease-Fire Not in Effect, More Violations Reported A family of nine was reported killed by government bombings (Reuters) in opposition-held Eastern Ghouta on Sunday despite a UN resolution approved unanimously by the Security Council a day earlier demanding a cease-fire. Local health workers said people in the Damascus suburb showed signs of chlorine gas exposure. CFR's Jamille Bigio and Rachel Vogelstein write for CNN that Syrian women have been underrepresented in peace negotiations. IRAQ: Saudi Arabia's soccer team will travel to Iraq for the countries' first match in four decades as part of a bid by Baghdad to see a decades-long FIFA ban (RFE/RL) on its hosting of matches lifted. SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA Scores of Girls Believed Taken by Boko Haram Nigeria confirmed that 110 female students are missing (Reuters) after an attack by Boko Haram militants at the girls' college in the town of Dapchi last week. The suspected abduction could be the largest since the 2014 kidnapping of more than 270 girls in the town of Chibok. ETHIOPIA: Foreign affairs officials met with the U.S. ambassador to Ethiopia (Addis Standard) after the United States condemned the country’s recent state-of-emergency declaration. EUROPE Turkey Seeks to Extradite Syrian Kurdish Leader Turkey's justice ministry said it is working to extradite a former leader of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (Rudaw) after Czech authorities arrested him in Prague at Turkey's request. Turkey indicted him for a 2016 bombing in Ankara (BBC) that killed thirty-seven people. MACEDONIA: The head of the European Commission said recent reforms in Macedonia put it "on the right track" but that it should resolve an ongoing dispute with Greece over its name as it seeks EU membership (RFE/RL). AMERICAS Venezuela's Electoral Authority Rejects 'Mega-Election' The National Electoral Council said it is not prepared to hold municipal, legislative, and state elections (DW) all on the same date as an upcoming presidential vote, going against a proposal by President Nicolas Maduro. COLOMBIA: Colombia extradited to the United States a prominent Ecuadorian drug smuggler charged with trafficking 250 tons of cocaine (LAHT) into the country. UNITED STATES More Than a Dozen Firms Cut Ties With NRA Prominent U.S. companies, including the airlines Delta and United, said they will end special deals offered to National Rifle Association members (FT) following a pressure campaign by gun reform advocates in the wake of a mass shooting at a Florida high school. This CFR Backgrounder compares U.S. gun policy with that of other developed nations. Billionaire investor and philanthropist Warren Buffett reported that his company gained a $65 billion profit in 2017, almost half of which it received as a result of a Republican overhaul of the tax code (Guardian).         Council on Foreign Relations — 58 East 68th Street — New York, NY 10065 CFR does not share email addresses with third parties. Forward This Email | Subscribe to CFR Newsletters | Unsubscribe - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  

From: dailybrief@e.cfr.org

Date: February 26, 2018 at 11:06PM