in season 5, chen is considered one of the potential successors to chinese president li and began amassing support from the people's party congress delegates to secure his accession. however, when a fire breaks out in an italian sweatshop owned by a chinese company, the us retaliates against china's labor conditions in order to draw it into a debate over improving fairness between itself and its competitors. forbidden from honoring the victims, chen also insists to elizabeth that the us needs to stand down, leading her to the conclusion that he might become china's next president, a situation that would improve relations between their two countries considerably. however, chen soon receives word that president li, breaking the precedents set by his predecessors, will reappoint himself for a five-year term. in defiance of the chinese government, chen, his daughter and his top aide visit the location of the fire and lay a wreath before it.