Trump sees in Chinese president all that he is not: Scholar

US President Donald Trump admires Chinese President Xi Jinping because he sees in Xi all that he is not, says Dennis Etler, an American political analyst who has a decades-long interest in international affairs.

Etler, a former professor of Anthropology at Cabrillo College in Aptos, California, made the remarks in an interview with Press TV on Sunday while commenting on  Trump’s praise of the Chinese leader.

In a closed-door fundraiser in the state of Florida on Saturday, Trump praised Chinese president after the ruling Communist Party reportedly declared plans to eliminate a two-term limit for the presidency, paving the way for Xi to serve indefinitely.

Trump further expressed hope that the US may have a president for life some day, according to audio excerpts of his remarks broadcast by CNN.

"He's now president for life, president for life. And he's great. And look, he was able to do that. I think it's great. Maybe we'll have to give that a shot someday," Trump said to cheers and applause from his supporters.

Professor Etler said Trump’s remarks “reflect some aspects of his thinking about China and his own role as President. Trump has previously heaped praise on President Xi and the treatment he received during his visit to Beijing last fall.”

“Trump’s admiration for Xi is understandable. He sees in Xi all that he is not. The Chinese President is well respected throughout the world, is acknowledged as a well-read and cultured person, and has been able to implement his domestic and international agenda with whole-hearted support of the Chinese Communist Party, the Chinese nation and Chinese people,” he stated.

“Xi’s success has led to the consensus that term limits on his tenure in office should be removed. As leader of the CPC (the Communist Party of China) and China’s Military Commission, positions which are open-ended, it has been deemed only appropriate that Xi’s term as head of state be in accord with his other positions,” the analyst said.

“There are however other constraints on Xi’s power. He rules with the consent of the CPC Central Committee and the national People’s Congress of the PRC (the People's Republic of China). It is also a Chinese convention that leaders should retire at 68 or when their term ends afterwards. That would suggest that Xi could serve a third term until he reached the age of 73 in 2028. He could then retire, much like Deng Xiaoping did, while retaining the ‘power behind the throne,’” he added.

“The idea that the constitutional revisions make Xi Jinping president for life is thus totally unfounded. The uproar in the Western media surrounding the potential extension of Xi’s presidency has nothing to do with concern for China’s system of governance or the welfare of its people. It is merely fear that China will continue to be ruled by a wise, determined, competent and visionary leader for the next decade to the detriment of US hopes to thwart China’s rise as a superpower,” he noted.  

“China has no reason to seek contention with the US, so long as the US is willing to acquiesce to China’s economic, political and military rise. The US however sees China’s rise as an existential threat to its role as global hegemon and king of the hill. The US will eventually have to accept China as a co-equal partner or first among equals, something it is loathe to do. Thus, all the calumnies directed against Xi Jinping and China reflect the insecurities of the US, while Trump’s fulsome praise for Xi reflects his envy,” the academic concluded.

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