Commentary This year the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) will be plagued with internal political instability as its leader Xi Jinping tries to secure a third, if not lifelong, term at the 20th Party Congress set for autumn 2022. Such a move violates the CCP’s tradition of upholding the two-term limit (each lasting for five years) of the presidency, which was stipulated in Article 79 of the 1982 version of the Chinese constitution. In 2018, however, Xi amended the constitution to delete this clause, which removed the legal barrier to his bid for perpetual power. Naturally, Xi is sure to meet stiff resistance from various quarters within the Party. Several events suggest that this year is likely to be a turbulent one for Xi and the CCP. The first is the mysterious absence of Xi’s right-hand man, Li Zhanshu, at a tea gathering on New Year’s Eve, a traditional occasion in which members …