ENVOY CLAIMS XI JINPING WANTS TO BE CHINA’S EMPEROR FOR LIFE

China wrapped up this year's annual session of the country's parliament after paving the way for a controversial third term for President Xi Jinping, with its neighbor Japan increasingly on guard against the Asian power's ambition, Tomoyuki Tachikawa wrote for Kyodo News.

In a bid to cement the authority of the Communist Party, the National People's Congress on Thursday adopted a resolution to alter Hong Kong's electoral system so that the mainland can exclude pro-democracy activists from the political arena in the territory.

Also at the parliament, the Chinese government pledged to take measures to surpass the United States as the world's biggest economy by 2035, highlighting Xi's eagerness to remain in power at least for the next decade.

In February, Xi enforced a law allowing its coast guard to use weapons in waters it claims, a move that Tokyo says is an attempt to bring the Japanese-controlled disputed islands in the East China Sea into its fold.

"Xi has successfully contained the novel coronavirus, and then he has been trying to expel nuisances in Hong Kong and enhance citizens' loyalty to him by vowing to boost the Chinese economy," a diplomatic source in Beijing said.

"Unfortunately, Xi has been steadily preparing to become China's emperor for life," the source said.

"At the same time, Xi has been keen to bolster China's influence on its neighbors including Japan, and for that purpose, he may take every step he can."

He added, "Japan should become much more vigilant against China," he added.

In the early 2010s, Beijing and Tokyo were mired in a territorial row over the uninhabited Senkaku Islands, called Diaoyu in China, but bilateral ties have been improving in the past few years by effectively shelving the spat.

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