Translating into Chinese of the following article
'Maybe we'll give that a shot': Donald Trump praises Xi Jinping's power grab
Donald Trump has celebrated Xi Jinping’s bid to shepherd
China back into an era of one-man dictatorship, suggesting the United States
might one day “give that a shot”.
China’s authoritarian leader took power in 2012 and had been expected to rule
until 2023. However, last week it emerged that Xi would attempt to use an annual
meeting of China’s parliament, which kicks off on Monday morning, to abolish
presidential term limits by changing the Chinese constitution.
Liberals have condemned the power grab, which will almost certainly be approved
by members of the National People’s Congress who have flocked to Beijing for the
two-week summit. Experts say the amendment paves the way for Xi to be China’s
ruler-for-life. “This is a critical moment in China’s history,” Cheng Li, a
prominent expert in elite Chinese politics who has criticised the move, told AP.
However, Trump offered a more positive assessment during a fundraising event at
his Mar-a-Lago estate, where he hosted Xi last April. “He’s now president for
life. President for life. And he’s great,” the US president reportedly told
Republican donors.
“And look, he was able to do that. I think it’s great. Maybe we’ll give that a
shot some day,” Trump added, according to CNN which obtained a recording of what
it described as an upbeat, joke-filled speech.
Even before Trump’s controversial remarks Chinese activists and dissidents had
voiced disappointment over the lack of criticism from western governments and
leaders.
“This kind of reaction is very short-sighted,” said Zhou Fengsuo, a democracy
activist who has lived in exile since fleeing the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown.
“This kind of permanent leadership never ends well … history tells us it will
not just be a Chinese issue, it will have a deep and profound influence on the
world ... [China] will see a lot of uncertainty and likely conflict because of
this.”
The topic of Xi’s power grab is so politically sensitive within China that
nearly all of the academics approached by the Guardian for comment in the
lead-up to Monday’s congress declined to talk.
Xing Hua, the only Chinese scholar who agreed to be interviewed, claimed foreign
journalists were “over-interpreting” and “over-emphasising” the move. “I hope
western media can view this proposal in a comprehensive and objective manner,”
said Xing, from the China Institute of International Studies, a state-run think
tank.
However, western experts say they are convinced Xi’s plan is to rule for many
years to come.
“He’s now 64. So he has got at least 20 years [left in him] … that would take
him almost to the centenary of the establishment of the People’s Republic [in
2049],” said Roderick MacFarquhar, a Harvard University China expert.
MacFarquhar said China’s “supreme ruler” was seeking to change China’s
constitution rather than simply ignoring it, so as to avoid looking like “some
sort of Banana Republic”. But the effect was the same: “He’s signalling: ‘I’m
going to stay on forever.’”
“Dictators are always arrogant,” said Qiao Mu, a journalism professor who moved
into exile in response to Xi’s reign. “It’s a disaster for political
civilization.”