Beijing: Chinese President Xi Jinping has secured a historic third term in power as president of China on Sunday, consolidating his position as the country’s most powerful leader since founder Mao Zedong.
Xi Jinping’s anointment will cap a week-long gathering of the party faithful in China’s capital during which high-ranking cadres endorsed his “core position” in the leadership.
It is almost certain that Xi Jinping will be unveiled once again as general secretary of the ruling Communist Party – a move that will definitely tilt the country back to one-man rule after decades of power-sharing among its elite.
His anointing will cap a week-long meeting of the party faithful in the Chinese capital, during which senior cadres backed his “major position” in leadership and approved a sweeping reshuffle that saw several top officials resign.
However, in an unexpected move that disrupted proceedings at the Great Hall of the People, former leader Hu Jintao was ushered out of the closing ceremony.
The frail-looking 79-year-old appeared reluctant to leave the front row, where he sat next to Xi Jinping.
State media reported late Saturday that Hu insisted on attending the meeting despite being unwell.
“When he felt unwell during the session, his staff escorted him to a room next to the venue to rest for his health. He is much better now,” Xinhua said on Twitter.
Sunday reveal
Delegates also elected a new Central Committee of around 200 senior party officials who will meet on Sunday to elect the Standing Committee – the pinnacle of Chinese political power in which Xi Jinping is expected to be firmly seated.
The Standing Committee is then expected to be introduced to foreign and domestic media at a press conference around noon (04:00 GMT) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
A list of officials on the new Central Committee previously revealed that four of the seven standing committee members will be replaced, allowing Xi to further pack the top body with loyalists.
“Any way you look at it, it’s almost a total victory for Xi,” said Willy Lam, a political analyst at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
The move will allow Xi to advance to a third term as China’s president, to be formally announced during the cabinet’s annual legislative sessions in March.
“21st Century Marxism”
It concludes a triumphant week in which China’s top leaders celebrated their leadership of the country over the past five years.
In his opening speech at the 20th Congress last Sunday, Xi praised the party’s achievements while ignoring domestic problems such as the stagnant economy and the damage caused by his tough zero-Covid policy.
Obsessed with ideological rhetoric and smooth political action, the repulsive Xi Jinping has also urged party members to brace themselves against multiple challenges, including a hardening geopolitical climate.
Analysts were watching closely to see if the party charter would be amended to enshrine “Xi Jinping Thought” as a guiding philosophy, a move that would put Xi on par with Mao.
This did not happen, although the resolution called the creed “the Marxism of contemporary China and the 21st century” and added that it “embodied the best Chinese culture and ethos of this era”.
Earlier in 2018, Xi abolished the two-term presidential limit, opening the way for him to rule indefinitely.