Xi Jinping won an unprecedented third term as China’s leader amid the elevation of some of his closest allies in the Communist Party, solidifying his position as the country’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong.
On Sunday, according to Xinhua, the Chinese communist party’s Central Committee elected Xi to a second five-year term as general secretary, firmly returning the nation to one-man rule after decades of elite power-sharing.
Xi addressed the media in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People after the vote was announced behind closed doors, saying, “I wish to sincerely thank the entire party for the trust you have placed in us.”
He stated to “work diligently in the performance of duties to prove worthy of the great trust of our party and our people.”
Xi was also given another term as head of China’s Central Military Commission.
Around 200 top party officials who made up the new Central Committee, chosen at the 20th Congress, assembled on Sunday to elect Xi and the other members of the Standing Committee, the highest body of political authority in China.
Since taking office ten years ago, Xi has amassed more power than any previous leader of modern China outside Mao.
In 2018, he removed the two-term restriction for president, enabling him to continue in office indefinitely.
Xi has also presided over China’s rise to become the second-largest economy in the world, a significant military buildup, and a far more assertive global posture that has faced fierce criticism from the United States.
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