“If I suffer for the right cause, it only define[s] the person I am becoming. It can only be good for me to become a better person if I believe in the Lord.”

China’s actions in the last two months—which have included demolishing church structures, burning Bibles, closing house churches, arresting pastors, and forcing millions of Chinese Christians to sign statements renouncing their faith—represent a dramatic escalation in the Communist Party’s clampdown on religion in China.

Within the next two weeks, China’s Communist Party is expected to remove a prohibition on presidential term limits. The move may allow the country’s current president, Xi Jinping, to remain in power for decades to come. Here is what you should know about the authoritarian leader of the world’s most populous nation.