Xi Jinping elected for third term, surrounds himself with loyalists

Xi Jinping has been elected for a third term, extending his control over the Chinese Communist Party and putting an end to decades of political precedent in the world’s second-largest economy.

Xi eliminated dissenting voices and surrounded himself with loyalists in his seven-person Politburo Standing Committee on Sunday, the group of men who will rule China for the next five years.

Li Qiang, the Party Secretary of Shanghai who led the city’s bungled response to COVID-19, walked behind Xi on stage in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People – signalling he was in pole position to become premier and the second most powerful man in China. He was followed by party disciplinarian Zhao Leji, its ideological chief Wang Huning, former Beijing mayor Cai Qi, Xi’s chief of staff Ding Xuexiang, and his protege Li Xi.

All six have been closely linked to Xi throughout their careers.

Premier Li Keqiang and his ally Wang Yang were the last two members of the Standing Committee with ties to the more moderate Communist Youth League faction, but their elimination has effectively wiped out any factional resistance within the Chinese cabinet and further concentrated power around Xi’s one-man rule. Hu Chunhua, Li’s ally, missed out on promotion, giving Xi total control and putting an end to the 3-4 balance between the moderate and control factions that have dominated Chinese politics for decades.

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Xi told his cabinet that they must “forge ahead with enterprise and the fortitude” to create a better future for China.

“We must remain on high alert and stay sober-minded and prudent like a student sitting for a never-ending exam,” he said.

“We must make sure that our century-old party, the biggest in the world, continues to be the strong backbone of the Chinese people.”