BEIJING: Xi Jinping was elected for a third term as president of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) on Friday, capping a rise that saw him become the country’s most powerful leader in generations.
China’s parliament unanimously voted Xi as the country’s president and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) of the PRC after he locked in another five years as leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in October.
Since then, Xi, 69, has weathered widespread protests over his zero-Covid policy and countless casualties after its abandonment. Those issues were avoided at this week’s National People’s Congress (NPC), a calculated event that is also set to appoint Xi ally Li Qiang as the new premier.
Beijing’s Great Hall of the People – a state building on the western edge of Tiananmen Square used for legislative and ceremonial activities – was decorated with crimson carpets and banners for the landmark election, as a military band provided background music.
A digital monitor on the edge of the stage showcased the final tally with all 2,952 votes casted in favour of awarding Xi another term in office.
Following the announcement, delegates made fervent declarations of allegiance to the China’s constitution in a demonstration of loyalty and unanimity as Xi raised his right fist and placed his left hand on a red leather copy of the constitution.
Xi’s remarkable rise
Xi’s re-election showcases his remarkable rise in which he went from a relatively little-known party apparatchik to the leader of a rising global power.
His re-election sets him up to become communist China’s longest-serving president, also meaning that Xi could rule well into his seventies, provided no challenger emerges.
‘The most powerful man in the world’
Adrian Geiges, co-author of “Xi Jinping: The Most Powerful Man in the World”, told AFP that in his view Xi was not motivated by a desire for personal enrichment, despite the revelations about his family’s amassed wealth by international media investigation.
Xi’s historic third term begins as the world’s second-largest economy faces major headwinds, from slowed growth and a troubled real estate sector to a declining birth rate.
Meanwhile, China’s relations with the United States are also at one of lowest points in decades, with the powers sparring over everything from human rights to trade and technology. — AFPpresident
