Xi’s ‘Revolution 2.0’ puts global democracies to the test

BEIJING — Chinese President Xi Jinping has secured a precedent-breaking third term as leader of the nation’s ruling Communist Party, bringing himself and the rest of the world to a crucial inflection point.

In name and reality, this historic moment puts an end to the party’s collective leadership. The fate of cross-strait relations with Taiwan and the direction of the world’s second-largest economy now both rest in the hands of one man.