Chinese President Xi Jinping has secured an unprecedented third five-year term as he became the general secretary of the ruling Communist Party again on Sunday. The key Congress of the ruling Communist party on Saturday cemented his power further, edging out several senior leaders, including number two leader Premier Li Keqiang in a major shake-up at the top.
Xi, 69, who was elected to the powerful Central Committee by Congress despite crossing the official retirement age of 68 and completing 10-year tenure, will get re-elected as the General Secretary of the party on Sunday for a record third-term, a privilege only accorded to party founder Mao Zedong.
The once-in-a-five-year Congress concluded its week-long session on Saturday by electing 205 regular Central Committee members and 171 alternate members.
Xi was elected to the Central Committee, which met on Sunday to elect a 25-member Political Bureau which in turn chose members for the Standing Committee to govern the country. The Standing Committee in turn elected Xi the General Secretary, who heads the party and the country.
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While Xi further consolidated his power with many of his own associates, making it to the Central Committee, several senior leaders were edged out.
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Several names, especially that of 67-year-old Premier Li, the nation's No. 2 official; National People's Congress chairman Li Zhanshu, 72; Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference chairman Wang Yang, 67; and Vice-Premier Han Zheng, 68, were conspicuously missing from the Central Committee list. They are all part of the outgoing seven-member Standing Committee headed by Xi.
On the last day, the Congress briefly witnessed an embarrassing scene as former president Hu Jintao, 79, was escorted out of the podium.
Hu, who handed over the power to Xi in 2012 in a smooth transition after completing a 10-year tenure, appeared reluctant to leave but was escorted out by his aides. There is no explanation here about what happened.
A different central administration headed by the new premier will formally take place in March.
The party Congress also approved an amendment of the party Constitution on Saturday that could further enhance Xi's stature as China's leader.
