Chinese university students call for abolishing the unlimited extension of the president’s term. The CCP deletes the post instantly. The full text of the statement goes viral on the “dark web”

The Fifth Plenary Session of the CPC Central Committee will be held behind closed doors in Beijing starting today, with the main agenda being "strict governance over the party." A joint appeal signed by more than a dozen key universities including Peking University and signed by "undergraduates and graduate students in universities" appeared in on-campus forums at Peking University and other schools, calling for the abolition of the indefinite extension system for the Chinese president. Most of the relevant posts were deleted within a very short period of time, but screenshots of the post page were later uploaded to the dark web "Freedom Forum" and were forwarded to overseas social platforms by students at home and abroad, attracting attention from the outside world.

The full text of the statement "A joint appeal from a group of university students in the Republic":

"Si Shiwen should be relieved of the post of interim president" - commemorating the 160th anniversary of the birth of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, we implore the abolition of the system of indefinite extension of national leadership positions and implement the spirit of democratic revolution

Dear Standing Committee of the Party Central Committee and the National People's Congress, and hereby submit to the members of the Fifth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China:

We are undergraduate and graduate students from several universities. With only a few weeks left before the 160th anniversary of the birth of Dr. Sun Yat-sen (November 12), the Fifth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China is about to be held. At this moment, with awe and trepidation, as a member of the Republic, and as a reminder of Dr. Sun Yat-sen's legacy, we would like to state some immature thoughts, and we sincerely ask you to listen.

We have grown up reading Dr. Sun Yat-sen's deeds since we were young. The textbooks tell us that he was "the great pioneer of China's democratic revolution." On New Year's Day, 1912, he took office as the interim president and swore that when the autocratic government fell, "Sushi Shiwen would be relieved from the post of interim president." Within two months, the Qing emperor abdicated, and he resigned from the Senate and gave way to others. The "Provisional Constitution" promulgated in the same year stated: "The sovereignty of the Republic of China belongs to all the people." In 1923, he pointed out in the "Manifesto of the Chinese Kuomintang" that the revolutions of previous generations "and their successes were based on the independence of the people and never associated with the people." Today's revolution must be "based on the status of the people." In his later years, when he went north, he even proposed convening a National Assembly to discuss national issues. "The world does not belong to one person, but the world belongs to the world" ("Lu Shi Chun Qiu·Gui Gong"). Dr. Zhongshan repeatedly wrote "The world is for the public" in his handwriting. This is the lineage he inherited.

In 1945, Mr. Huang Yanpei asked Comrade Mao Zedong in Yan'an whether the Chinese Communist Party could break out of the historical cycle of "its rise is rapid and its demise is sudden." Comrade Mao Zedong replied: "This new path is democracy. Only by allowing the people to supervise the government will the government not dare to relax; only when everyone rises to take responsibility will the government not be destroyed." In 1980, Comrade Deng Xiaoping summed up the lessons in "Reform of the Party and State Leadership System" and pointed out that "a good system can prevent bad people from running amok, and a bad system can prevent good people from fully doing good things." Since then, the 1982 Constitution established that national leadership positions should not be held for more than two consecutive terms. These words were all spoken by the Party itself.

However, we noticed with confusion and uneasiness that the 2018 constitutional amendment deleted the requirement that the president and vice president should not serve more than two consecutive terms. We are well aware that the country needs stability and development needs continuity, but stability should come from the predictability of the system rather than reliance on individuals. The Party Central Committee pointed out that there are "two answers" to jumping out of the historical cycle: one is people's supervision, and the other is self-revolution. This plenary meeting will study the major issue of "persistently promoting comprehensive and strict governance of the party." We believe that the other side of self-revolution is to allow power to be limited and subject to supervision. Article 41 of the Constitution gives citizens the right to criticize and make suggestions. Our call today is not only to exercise this right in accordance with the constitution, but also out of the simplest love for this country.

To this end, we sincerely put forward three expectations:

1. Abolish the indefinite extension system for the president, restore the term limits clearly stipulated in the constitution, and ensure the orderly transfer of power in the constitution; clear term norms should also be established for the party’s top leadership positions.

2. Launch democratic constitutional amendment, convene a national constitutional amendment conference, steadily and gradually expand the people's substantive participation in public power, improve the election, supervision and recall mechanism, and implement the unfinished ambition since 1911 - returning power to the people - step by step.

3. Ensure the space for citizens to discuss state affairs in accordance with the law, allow the youth of the Republic to dare to speak the truth, and allow criticism to be listened to as well-intentioned suggestions.

We have no intention of confrontation, let alone creating confrontation. We are just a group of young people who grew up reading Dr. Sun Yat-sen's legacy. With the sentiment that "the revolution has not yet succeeded, comrades still have to work hard," we are willing to fulfill the responsibilities of scholars for the long-term future of this country. If my words are inappropriate, please forgive me; if you are noticed, I am deeply grateful. Best regards!