BEIJING, China
Xi Jinping secured a historic third term as China's leader on Sunday and promoted some of his closest Communist Party allies, cementing his position as the nation's most powerful leader since Mao Zedong.
The Central Committee of the
Chinese Communist Party elected Xi as its general secretary for another
five-year term, Xinhua reported, tilting the country decisively back towards
one-man rule after decades of power-sharing among its elite.
"I wish to thank the
whole party sincerely for the trust you have placed in us," Xi told
journalists at Beijing's Great Hall of the People after the closed-door vote
was announced.
He promised to "work
diligently in the performance of our duties to prove worthy of the great trust
of our party and our people."
Xi was also reappointed head
of China's Central Military Commission.
The 69-year-old is now all but
certain to sail through to a third term as China's president, due to be
formally announced during the government's annual legislative sessions in
March.
His anointment came after a
week-long Congress of 2,300 hand-picked party delegates during which they
endorsed Xi's "core position" in the leadership and approved a
sweeping reshuffle that saw former rivals step down.
The 20th Congress elected the
new Central Committee of around 200 senior party officials, who then gathered
on Sunday to elect Xi and the other members of Standing Committee -- the apex
of Chinese political power.
Some of Xi's closest allies
were announced in the seven-man committee.
Former Shanghai party chief Li
Qiang, a confidante of Xi's, was promoted to number two, making him likely to
be named premier at the government's annual legislative sessions next March.
Since becoming the country's
leader a decade ago, Xi has achieved a concentration of power like no modern
Chinese ruler other than Mao.
He abolished the presidential
two-term limit in 2018, paving the way for him to govern indefinitely.
Xi has also overseen China’s
rise as the world’s second-biggest economy, a huge military expansion and a far
more aggressive global posture that has drawn strong opposition from the United
States.
Despite nearly unchecked
power, Xi faces huge challenges over the next five years, including managing
the nation’s debt-ridden economy and the growing US rivalry.
Sunday’s vote brought to an
end a triumphant week at which China's top brass hailed their leadership of the
country over the last five years.
In his opening speech to its
20th Congress last Sunday, Xi lauded the party's achievements while glossing
over domestic problems such as the stalling economy and the damage inflicted by
his harsh zero-Covid policy.
Heavy on ideological rhetoric
and light on policy, a defiant Xi also urged party members to steel themselves
against numerous challenges including a hardening geopolitical climate.
Analysts had closely watched
for whether the party charter would be amended to enshrine "Xi Jinping
Thought" as a guiding philosophy, a move that would put Xi on a par with
Mao.
That did not take place,
though a resolution did call the creed "the Marxism of contemporary China
and of the 21st century", adding that it "embodies the best Chinese
culture and ethos of this era".
In an unexpected move that
punctured the proceedings at Saturday's Congress closing ceremony, former
leader Hu Jintao was led out of the hall.
The frail-looking 79-year-old
seemed reluctant to leave the front row where he was sitting next to Xi.
State media reported late
Saturday that Hu had insisted on attending the session despite being
unwell.
"When he was not feeling
well during the session, his staff, for his health, accompanied him to a room
next to the meeting venue for a rest. Now, he is much better," Xinhua said
on Twitter, a social media platform that is blocked in China.
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