'It goes against civilised politics' - rare protests in China over Xi Jinping's power play
A rare show of dissent has emerged in China over Xi Jinping's bid to stay in power beyond his two term presidential limit. The Chinese president is seeking to extend his rule beyond 2023 with a change to the constitution that will be decided by China's parliament, the National People's Congress (NPC), when it meets next month.
Beijing's huge army of Internet censors have been mobilised to stamp out any ridicule or criticism to the move, while state media and the armed forces have come out to back it.
But Li Datong, a former editor at the state-run China Youth Daily, published online an open letter to the NPC's Beijing legislators telling them such a move would involve "planting the seed once again of chaos in China, causing untold damage".
Speaking to The Telegraph after he posted his statement on messaging app Wechat on Monday, Mr Li said: "I still support my letter. The constitution concerns everyone, not just a single person.
"We must not allow China to move backwards. Extending the presidential limit goes against civilised politics and will bring us back to the era of Mao Tse-tung."
Rules stipulating that the Chinese president can only serve for two terms are included in the 1982 constitution, which was drawn up to help prevent the trauma and chaos of the 1966-76 Cultural Revolution being repeated.
Another Wechat statement was reported to have been posted by businesswoman Wang Ying.
Ms Wang said that the Communist Party's proposal was "a betrayal" and "against the tide", according to a image seen by The Telegraph.
The Telegraph was told that Ms Wang has since been contacted by authorities over her statement and is unavailable for comment.
Prominent sociologist Li Yinhe also criticised the removal of the two term limits online, the AP said.
A woman who claimed to be Ms Li's assistant told The Telegraph she "could not talk to media about this now".
Additional reporting by Christine Wei
