China’s President Xi Jinping

One day after the weeklong 2,300-member congress closed, Xi appeared on the stage in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People. He appeared with six other men of the Politburo Standing Committee, which is the Chinese equivalent of the presidential cabinet.

Xi also revealed the full 24-member Politburo, which for the first time in at least 25 years had no women.

The 69-year-old Xi, who assumed power in 2012, was named again as general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party. Only CCP founder Mao Zedong has ever served a third term.

Premier Li Keqiang, the country’s No. 2 leader, was not there, and was among four men who have retired from the committee.

Anti-corruption chief Zhao Leji and political theorist Wang Huning remain.

The youngest member is 60 years old.

“This new lineup is not a product of power sharing or horse trading among different factions, but basically it is the result or consequence of Xi’s authority,” Chen Gang, a senior research fellow at the National University of Singapore’s East Asian Institute told CNN.

“We have entered a new era, as Xi now controls almost every aspect concerning policy making and decision making. We’re seeing a kind of re-centralized bureaucracy in China, which will definitely impact the future China’s economic and foreign policy trajectory.”

Their official titles will be confirmed at next year’s parliamentary National People’s Congress meeting when Xi will be confirmed as president again.

One newcomer is Li Qiang, who walked out right behind Xi, and is lokely to become rremier and will manage China’s economy.

Li Qiang is currently the party secretary of Shanghai, including overseeingf the controversial lockdown because of COVID-19.

“This promotion alone is significant for us to reconsider the power structure of China under Xi’s third term,” Professor Yang Zhang of the American University told the BBC. He is the first official to be promoted without any working experience in central government.

The standing committee also includes Cai Qi, the mayor of Beijing, where the Winter Olympics took place earlier this year.

Also selected: Ding Xuexiang, who is the current director of the General Office of the CCP, and Li Xi, the current secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.

“Cai was not even among the Communist Party’s top 370 leaders before the last party congress. Now he is the fifth most powerful person in China,” Neil Thomas, senior China analyst of the Eurasia Group, said.

Residents were not surprised with the new leadership.

On the streets of Beijing, residents were not surprised by the lineup. “All of them belong to the same faction. It’s expected,” one person told the BBC.

“It’s OK that Xi continues with his third term as long as people can get food. We can feed ourselves but it’s still difficult. Many businesses are going through particularly difficult times,” said another resident.

Xi received congratulations from Russia’s Vladimir Putin and North Korea‘s Kim Jong-un.

Source:UPI