Xi Jinping was on Sunday re-elected as the general secretary of the Communist Party of China for a record third term, PTI reported.
His re-election is a break from tradition as only party founder Mao Zedong had been elected for a third term at the post. Also, Xi is 69 years old, a year older than the party’s informal retirement age of 68.
In 2018, the Chinese president had abolished the two-term limit for the country’s top post.
On Saturday, Xi was also elected was elected to the Central Committee by the ruling Communist Party.
The Central Committee is the Communist Party’s highest organ of authority. It elects members of the Politburo, Standing Committee and the Central Military Commission.
Meanwhile, the party also named a seven-member Standing Committee, which is the organisation’s inner circle of power.
The second senior-most leader in the committee is Li Qiang, a former Shanghai party secretary, according to the Associated Press. Since the 1990s, the second senior-most leader has been the country’s premier, who is the top economic official.
Zhao Leji has been named as the third senior-most leader in the Standing Committee that could make him the head of the legislature.
Xi and other members of the committee appeared together before reporters on Sunday in the Great Hall of the People, the seat of the country’s legislature.
The politician told the press that decades of efforts have resulted in China’s growth as a world leader, reported AFP. “China cannot develop without the world, and the world also needs China,” Xi said. “After more than 40 years of unflagging efforts towards reform and opening up, we have created two miracles, rapid economic development and long-term social stability.”
On Saturday, the Chinese president had addressed the 20th Congress of the Communist Party and urged citizens to put the country’s interests first.
“Dare to struggle, dare to win, bury your heads and work hard. Be determined to keep forging ahead,” he had said. “We must be ready to withstand high winds, choppy waters and even dangerous storms. Confronted with drastic changes in the international landscape, especially external attempts to blackmail, contain, [and] blockade... China, we have put our national interests first.”
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