Xi Jinping at the top of China for 5 more years – question mark over bodies of ex-head of state Hu Jintao found after plane crash off Costa Rica – pilot was Swiss

Chinese head of state and party leader Xi Jinping has further expanded his power and will lead the People’s Republic for at least another five years. At its first plenary session on Sunday in Beijing, the new Communist Party Central Committee voted as expected for a third term for the 69-year-old as general secretary and head of the military commission. He thus ignores previously respected age and term limits – and with his sole reign he joins the founder of the state and revolutionary Mao Tsetung, who brought chaos to the country.

The carefully orchestrated week-long session was marred by an incident involving former leader Hu Jintao. The frail-looking 79-year-old was led off the podium in the Great Hall of the People by two stewards shortly before the constitutional changes were implemented, apparently against his will.

Chinese state media then explained the much-noted incident involving the former party leader and the 79-year-old being unwell. The incident sparked much speculation.

According to reports, Hu Jintao insisted on attending the session, even though he had just “taken time to recover,” the official Xinhua news agency wrote, without naming a specific illness. “When he felt unwell during the meeting due to his health, his staff took him to a room near the meeting to rest. He is doing much better now,” the report said.

What was really behind the incident is still unclear. Photos of Hu Jintao attending the session featured prominently on the evening news. The entry speaks against possible political backgrounds, about which there was direct speculation. Hu Jintao is not necessarily one of Xi Jinping’s supporters. The ex-party leader also seemed visibly annoyed and at one point took papers from Xi Jinping.

KP makes important personnel decisions

Meanwhile, important decisions were made and positions filled on Sunday. At the end of the week’s session the day before, the party congress, which only takes place every five years, entrenched Xi Jinping’s ideology and his permanent leadership role more deeply in the party constitution, demanding unconditional loyalty. After the Central Committee meeting in the Great Hall of the People, Xi Jinping presented his new leadership team at a press conference, which he has appointed with staunch followers.

Shanghai party leader Li Qiang surprisingly took second place on the podium in the Politburo’s powerful seven-member Standing Committee. The 63-year-old’s rise suggests that Xi Jinping’s closest confidant will become the new prime minister in March. The party leader of the East Chinese port metropolis has been heavily criticized for the chaotic course of the two-month corona lockdown in Shanghai.

The previous head of government, Li Keqiang, is retiring early and is no longer a member of the Central Committee, although he is only 67 years old. At the annual meeting of the People’s Congress in March, he already announced his intention to step down as prime minister. He belonged to a different party camp than Xi Jinping, sparking speculation about differences. Also, as head of government, Li Keqiang has never had the same power as his predecessors.

In addition to Xi Jinping, the new Standing Committee also includes the head of the powerful Disciplinary Commission, Zhao Leji (65), and its chief ideologue, Wang Huning. The expectation was that in March the 67-year-old could become the new head of parliament and thus the number two in the state. In addition to the Shanghai party leader, newcomers to the inner circle are Beijing counterpart Cai Qi (66), Xi Jinping’s chief of staff and closest confidant, Ding Xuexiang (60), and the party leader of important Guangdong province, Li Xi (66).

The new Central Committee, which has 370 members and candidates, noted that, despite the uncertain economic times in China, key members of the previous economic team are missing., although not all have reached the age limit. In addition to Deputy Prime Minister Liu He (70), younger executives such as Central Bank Governor Yi Gang (64), Finance Minister Liu Kun (65) and the head of banking supervision Guo Shuqing (66) are no longer represented and are therefore likely to step down in the government reshuffle in March.

According to China experts, the special leadership role of Deputy Prime Minister Liu He (70), who led the negotiations in the ongoing trade war with the US, is economic expert and current head of the influential Reform and Development Commission (NDRC), He Lifeng. (67). , taking over.

Despite his age, Foreign Minister Wang Yi (69) remains a member of the new Central Committee. That suggests the senior diplomat could replace 72-year-old Yang Jiechi as the party’s state councilor and top foreign policy official, pointing to continuity. Apparently there are also no age limits for deputy army chief General Zhang Youxia: Xi Jinping’s 72-year-old confidant was confirmed as deputy head of the military commission. (con/sda/dpa)