Chinese Propaganda: ‘Hysterical’ West ‘Cannot Psychologically Bear’ Xi’s Power Grab

China’s state-run Global Times newspaper published an outraged column Wednesday condemning Western free media for criticizing the Communist Party’s move to do away with term limits on the Chinese presidency, effectively securing Xi Jinping’s total control of the state indefinitely.

According to the communist publication, envy and incredulous rage are pushing Western observers towards “hysteria … almost using curse words” because they hate to see China so successful on the world stage.

While China’s Communist Party leadership does qualify as extraordinarily “successful” financially, much of China lives in squalor, and communist policies have led to peasants freezing to death this year to appease Beijing politically. The Chinese people also suffer extreme religious persecution and enjoy little to no freedom of expression, a condition that has worsened under Xi’s tyrannical rule.

The Global Times does not address these concerns. Instead, it argues that “Western media have been growing strident in their abuse of Beijing, almost using curse words” because “the rise of China has reached a critical point where some Westerners cannot psychologically bear it any longer.”

“They wish to see misfortune befall the country. Even if it might hurt their own interests, they are willing to see China crumble first,” the Times concludes. The newspaper warns that this “hysteria” will naturally fuel diplomatic relations with Western countries and “complicate” foreign relationships.

To combat the threat of Western human rights defenders, the Global Times advises “solidarity” among all Chinese people, both within and outside of China’s borders. “If China collapses the way the outside world wishes, all Chinese people will lose,” the newspaper laments.

Tying this debate back to Xi, the newspaper concludes that the Chinese Communist Party (CPC) “has made us Chinese all closely connected to each other” and is responsible for defeating the West on the world stage. Such responsibility requires the CPC to wield unprecedented power, it implies.

In a separate piece, the Global Times asserts that the expansion of CPC power is not only necessary but “the people’s will.” It addresses all the reforms announced to be proposed at the upcoming meeting of the National People’s Congress in March, not just the repeal of presidential term limits. The Communist Party is also calling for the formal amendment of the nation’s constitution to include “Xi Jinping Thought”—a philosophy of global dominance presented to the party in October—and a revamp of the nation’s federal “discipline” inspectors to empower Beijing to review the loyalty of all 90 million members.

The insistence that the Chinese people want Xi to consolidate power appears necessary given the amount of time that the government has begun spending on censoring online criticism of the move. Reports from tech observers since Beijing announced the term limit move indicate that the Communist Party has banned any discussion of the move because it is so unpopular, and expanded speech limits to include phrases such as “I don’t agree” and “re-election” whether or not the person using the phrase supports the government or not.

The Times concludes such power grabs are necessary and “much needed.”

“The article noted that writing Xi Jinping thought into the Constitution will help make the Party’s guiding ideology the guiding ideology for the country, a much needed move for the development of the Party and country and for the improvement of the Constitution,” the Times, citing the Communist Party newspaper People’s Daily, writes.

The People’s Daily has joined into the chorus of government-run media celebrating that Xi may soon have an open path to controlling the presidency, the top spot in the military, and the top spot in the CPC indefinitely.

“Core leadership is vital to any country,” the newspaper argued on Wednesday. “Chairman Mao Zedong made clear that the force at the core leading our cause forward is the CPC and the theoretical basis guiding our thinking is Marxism-Leninism, at the first National People’s Congress held in 1954.” Granting full control of the future of China to the autocratic Communist Party is “the biggest advantage of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics integrated,” it continues.

The core of the CPC is “Comrade Xi Jinping.”

Xi’s new reforms are the product of the Communist Party Congress’s decisions in October. The South China Morning Post notes that many of these changes appear bureaucratic, making it easier for Xi to micromanage local and special issues offices within the government. The newspaper cites the more straight-laced Chinese government outlet Xinhua as stating vaguely that “systems for market supervision, natural resources and environmental management, and public service management would be improved.”