What Will Happen After Xi Jinping Takes Office? A Mainland Professor Made an Accurate Prediction 13 Years Ago

This is a video clip of a speech by Ren Jiantao, who was a professor in the Department of Political Science at the School of International Relations of Renmin University of China, during an annual conference in 2012. (Video screenshot)

[People News] Xi Jinping has been in power for 13 years and is currently facing not only a severe downturn in the Chinese economy but also a political power crisis. At the start of Xi Jinping's tenure, Ren Jiantao, then a professor at Renmin University, evaluated Xi Jinping's potential impact. He predicted that China would enter a lifeless 20 years following Xi's rise to power. This prediction has now come to fruition, prompting netizens to exclaim: 'Incredible, an accurate prophecy!'

Recently, a video of Ren Jiantao, now a professor in the Department of Political Science at Tsinghua University's School of Social Sciences, from a speech at the 2012 annual conference has been circulating online. In this video, Ren Jiantao analyses and assesses the implications of Xi Jinping's leadership for China's future.

Ren Jiantao stated that some people claim Xi Jinping was very studious and open-minded during his time in Zhejiang. Therefore, after Xi Jinping took office, he would first rectify the June Fourth incident; second, implement political system reforms; and third, dismantle a certain system, almost akin to a 'second Gorbachev.' 'This reflects the literary imagination and creativity of the Chinese people, engaging in literary consumption ahead of the 18th National Congress.'

Ren Jiantao analyses that figures such as Xi Jinping, Bo Xilai, and Wang Qishan, who were born in the 1950s, along with Hu Chunhua, Zhou Qiang, and Sun Zhengcai from the 1960s, will increasingly lack personal charisma once they ascend to high positions.

He asserts that a fundamental situation China is about to confront is the onset of a lifeless twenty years.

Ren Jiantao elaborates that both generations are comprised of former Red Guards and Young Red Guards, whose defining characteristic is a lack of rules.

He explains that those from the 1950s and 1960s essentially graduated from high school under the education and influence of Mao Zedong's dictatorship of the proletariat and the theory of continuing the revolution. During their university years, they primarily focused on restoring the authority of the Communist Party and did not receive a rigorous modern education, making it challenging for them to adopt contemporary ideas. Consequently, they struggle to clearly differentiate between the authority of a system and the authority of an individual.

Ren Jiantao points out that Xi Jinping and his contemporaries believe they can still reshape their personal charisma, fervently delivering irrelevant political rhetoric, mistakenly thinking that this establishes their authority. In truth, Xi Jinping's appeal within his own generation has already diminished significantly.

Ren Jiantao's video has prompted netizens to remark: 'The commentary on Xi Jinping is incredibly precise and impressive, a clear-headed individual in this world, with prophetic insights and a true knack for understanding people! This is what a real professor looks like.'

'A completely lifeless twenty years! People are being forced to leave their homes.'

'At that time, it was already indicated that it would be twenty years, foreseeing the constitutional amendment for re-election?'

'Ultimately, those within the system understand it best; the Red Guards know the Red Guards best, and the predictions are remarkably accurate.'

Individuals from the 1960s have expressed the known realities, which remain largely unknown to many, by merging their personal growth backgrounds with their experiences in institutional research.

The Red Guard generation experienced the Mao era, where one individual could wield immense power, and everyone would chant in unison for a long life. This experience has left an indelible mark on their later life journeys, prompting them to consciously or unconsciously search for similarities with Mao.

There are also many netizens expressing concern for Ren Jiantao's safety.

'I looked into it, and it seems this professor has not faced repercussions for his statements according to publicly available information, which is somewhat comforting.'

'At that time, he had just assumed power and had not yet begun to tighten control; later, he gradually implemented stricter measures step by step.'

'During the Hu-Wen era, one could say this was the period when Xi had just taken office.'

Senior political and economic commentator and historian of the Chinese Communist Party, Lin Baohua, has analysed that Xi Jinping's generation governs similarly to the Red Guards, or what could be termed 'post-cultural revolution.' The Xi Jinping administration's increasingly severe political repression and literary inquisition are drawing closer to the Cultural Revolution, indicating a possible historical turning point.

Lin Baohua predicts that when internal conflicts within the Communist Party reach a stage where 'officials cannot survive' and 'scholars lack ambition,' and when the fiscal crisis forces the public to tighten their belts, change in China will be unavoidable. Even if there is no widespread uprising, a palace coup could very well take place.
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