Xi Jinping is set for historic third term as party leader

The closing session of the Chinese Communist Party Congress began in China on Saturday morning. About 2,300 delegates gathered for a week at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

Finally, they must vote on a new term for head of state Xi Jinping (69) as secretary general of the party. The results will be announced on Sunday. A re-election of the 69-year-old to a historic third term is considered certain.

China wants to build “world-class armed forces”.

The delegates elect the approximately 200 members of the Central Committee, a kind of party parliament. This body in turn appoints the 25-member Politburo and the all-powerful Standing Committee – the highest level of leadership – as well as the Secretary General.

The party congress has now further enshrined Xi Jinping’s ideology in the constitution. The decision said that with Xi Jinping as the “core of the Central Committee” and through his theories, the party was able to overcome the country’s contradictions and problems. The Party and China are facing a complex situation and serious challenges that are unparalleled in the world.

Congress also decided to strengthen the military and make it a “world-class force.” The independence forces in Taiwan must also be fought resolutely, it said. The Chinese leadership considers the democratic island republic to be part of the People’s Republic and threatens to conquer it. Taiwan, on the other hand, has long considered itself independent.

Xi could become the most powerful leader since Mao Zedong

In 2018, Xi abolished the two-year presidential term. Experts therefore expect the 69-year-old to secure a third term as head of state and party, consolidating his position as China’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong.

The Chinese Communist Party only holds its party congress every five years. It is always closed to the public and this year under strict precautions due to China’s zero-covid policy.

(AFP/SDA)