Chinese President Xi Jinping Wins Record Third 5-Year Term in Power

Chinese President Xi Jinping tightens grip on power.

(Photo: PTI)

The Communist Party of China (CPC) on Sunday, 23 October, re-elected Xi Jinping as the General Secretary of the ruling party, giving him a record third five-year term as the country’s president.

Before Jinping, only party founder Mao Zedong was accorded such a privilege.

Besides the re-election of Jinping, a new senior leadership of the party was also unveiled on Sunday, a day after the CPC wrapped up its once-in-five-year congress.

Xi was elected general secretary of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC at the committee's first plenary session held on Sunday, attended by 203 members of the Central Committee and 168 alternate members, China's Xinhua news agency reported.

Amendments were added to the party charter aimed at cementing the core status of Xi and the guiding role of his political thought within the party at the Communist Party's 20th Congress, Reuters reported.

Top Decision-Making Bodies Stacked With Xi Loyalists

The new Standing Committee and the larger 24-member Political Bureau, or Politburo, is stacked with Xi loyalists.

The new leadership was unveiled when Xi walked into the Great Hall of the People, followed by the other members of the new Politburo Standing Committee in descending order of rank.

Premier Li Keqiang, considered number two in the party hierarchy, has been removed from the post. He will, however, continue as the premier for the next six months until his successor takes over.

At the unveiling of the new party leadership, Xi was followed by Shanghai Communist Party chief Li Qiang onto the stage at the Great Hall of the People, indicating that 63-year-old is likely to succeed Li Keqiang as premier when he retires in March.

Three sets of leadership teams were elected at the CCP congress that is held once in five years. A new 203-person Central Committee was elected with some new members while some older members have been purged.

Politburo, the second largest of the party's top decision-making bodies with 25 members, was also unveiled. Members of the Politburo Standing Committee (PSC), a seven-member top decision-making body headed by Xi, were also elected at the session.

The members of the all-powerful Standing Committee, according to Xinhua News, are: Xi Jinping, Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang and Li Xi.

(With inputs from PTI, Reuters, and Xinhua)