China's Xi Jinping wins third term as leader of ruling Communist Party
President Xi Jinping, China’s most powerful leader in decades, has continued his dominance after being reelected as head of the ruling Communist Party on Sunday.
Xi, who took power in 2012, was awarded a third five-year term as general secretary, discarding a party custom under which his predecessor left after 10 years.
Xi was chosen as the party's general secretary in a closed-door vote after a week-long congress in which he cemented his grasp on power.
"Confronted with new challenges and tests on the new journey, we must remain on high alert and stay sober-minded and prudent like a student sitting for an exam," Xi said after his reelection.
He and other Standing Committee members appeared for the first time as a group before reporters Sunday in the Great Hall of the People, the seat of China's ceremonial legislature in central Beijing.
"The new journey is a long one filled with glories and dreams. The road-map has been drawn and the bugle has been sounded. We must forge ahead with enterprise and fortitude and endeavour to create an even brighter future," he said.
None of the Standing Committee members are women.
The Central Committee has 11 women or 5% of the total. Its 24-member Politburo has none following the departure of Vice Premier Sun Chunlan, who is in her 70s.
The 69-year-old leader is expected by some to try to stay in power for life.
He has also promoted allies who support his vision of tighter control over society and the struggling economy, with analysts believing Xi has now established exclusive control over the party's inner circle.
“Power will be even more concentrated in the hands of Xi Jinping,” said Jean-Pierre Cabestan, a Chinese politics expert at Hong Kong Baptist University.
The new appointees are
Read more on euronews.com
