Xi Jinping

Premier Li Keqiang, the country's No. 2 leader, is among those set to step aside.

[Hotels.com October Deals - Save 20% or more](https://www.wsj.com/coupons/hotels-com) [$50 discount sitewide - Home Depot Coupon](https://www.wsj.com/coupons/the-home-depot) Delegates to a twice-a-decade party congress, concluded Saturday, also reaffirmed Mr.

He called for even faster military development in his speech opening the party congress in Beijing on Sunday. Get the Morning Rundown. Get a head start on the ...

[ending its strict one-child policy](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/china/china-scraps-one-child-policy-all-couples-n453566) in 2016, then further easing measures to [allow couples to have up to three children](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/china-allow-couples-have-three-children-cope-aging-society-n1269140). Last year, the country [recorded 10.6 million births](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/chinas-birth-rate-falls-2021-workforce-shrinks-rcna12446), down from 12 million in 2020. Officials had set a target of 5.5% growth for this year, but have stopped talking about it after the economy [narrowly avoided contraction](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/china-2nd-quarter-gdp-covid-lockdowns-rcna38352) in the second quarter. U.S.-China relations are widely considered to be at their lowest point since the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1979. China’s annual defense spending has more than doubled since 2012 to $230 billion, compared with about $800 billion in the U.S. Last February, he proclaimed that he had eliminated extreme poverty altogether, though experts have questioned how China defines it. Since Xi took power in 2012, the country's GDP has more than doubled, from $8.53 trillion to $17.73 trillion. [status of Taiwan](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/joe-biden-china-us-forces-defend-taiwan-rcna48271), China’s [growing relationship with Russia](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/russia-china-vladimir-putin-xi-jinping-rcna47863), the [coronavirus pandemic](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/new-studies-bolster-theory-coronavirus-emerged-wild-not-chinese-lab-rcna40166) and a [trade war](https://www.nbcnews.com/business/economy/corporate-fears-grow-over-u-s-china-trade-war-n1063271) that began under then-President [Donald Trump](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-claims-clemency-requests-taken-fbi-mar-lago-returned-rcna53376). Here’s a look at how the country has changed under his decadelong rule: [aircraft carriers](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/china-launches-third-aircraft-carrier-rcna34056) from one to three — compared with America’s 11 — and opening its first overseas base in the East African country of Djibouti. [property sector crisis](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/what-evergrande-chinese-property-giant-behind-global-selloff-fears-n1279929), tightening regulations and a [strict “zero-Covid” policy](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/china-covid-outbreak-rcna21128) forcing millions into lockdowns have buffeted the economy, spurring unemployment. [Xi Jinping](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/china-xi-jinping-communist-party-congress-rcna51814) is set to obtain a historic third term in power as the [twice-a-decade congress](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/china-communist-party-congress-xi-jinping-third-term-zero-covid-rcna51613) of his ruling Chinese Communist Party wraps up this weekend.

Xi Jinping has firmly secured a norm-busting third term as leader of the Chinese Communist Party and cemented his power atop a more confident, and more ...

“External attempts to suppress and contain China may escalate at any time.” During this time a secret document circulated within the party known as “Document No. In party study sessions, Xi would often pose the question, "why did the Soviet Union disintegrate? State Department cable entitled “Portrait of Vice President Xi Jinping: ‘Ambitious Survivor’ of the Cultural Revolution.” Sourced from a private acquaintance of Xi, doing all in their power to smear and vilify,” he warned. He has sought to challenge the U.S.-backed world order by cozying up to Russian President Vladimir Putin whom Xi called in 2018 “my best, Yet, at the same time, his policies -- most notably his signature zero-COVID policy -- also has also left China more isolated and xenophobic than it has been in generations. This resume led many, like New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, to boldly predict in January 2013 that “Xi Jinping will spearhead a resurgence of economic reform, and probably some political easing as well. The son of a revolutionary-turned-liberal reformer, many China-watchers had hoped that the son would be like the father. It read like roadmap for Xi’s eventual heavy hand. The exact same day as Kristof’s optimistic column on Jan. In the lead-up, many sifted through his available biography for clues of what kind of leader he would be.

China's 20th Party Congress concluded on Saturday with a rare and shocking piece of live drama. Hu Jintao, the leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) ...

Xu Caihou, a high-ranking military official, was [detained](https://www.hrw.org/report/2016/12/06/special-measures/detention-and-torture-chinese-communist-partys-shuanggui-system?gclid=Cj0KCQjwqc6aBhC4ARIsAN06NmMYqNpnBf4ZBCD2foKElOiTP4KtQid9B2VOy4g4La_qX9mI-QoFfe0aAn_CEALw_wcB) in 2014 in the middle of cancer treatment, and died the next year. [extremely harsh](https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/10/19/china-party-congress-xi-jinping-speech/) language in his opening work report to describe the situation within the party when he took over, speaking of a “slide toward weak, hollow, and watered-down party leadership in practice,” though without mentioning Hu or others by name. (Hu’s contribution to Marxist theory, the Scientific Outlook on Development, also got a token mention in Xi’s speech.) Humiliating Hu in this fashion would also send a clear signal to the “ [retired elders](https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/10/13/china-xi-jinping-succession-ccp-party-congress-elders/),” the former high-level leaders who long remained a force within the party, that Xi’s power was unbound. But the third and most disturbing possibility is that it was planned, and we just witnessed Xi deliberately and publicly humiliate his predecessor—possibly as a precursor to wielding the tools of party discipline, followed by judicial punishment, against him. The initial list of Central Committee names—the roughly 200 people who will nominally decide the Standing Committee, the core of the leadership, in meetings Saturday and announce it Sunday—is missing Li Keqiang, the current premier and a protégé of Hu’s, and other relative economic reformers such as Wang Yang and Liu He. Hu was associated with a power network of former leaders, like himself, of the Communist Youth League; that faction appears to have been [effectively destroyed](https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/04/world/asia/china-communist-youth-league.html). That could have been a remark by Hu to his former colleagues backstage or perhaps even signs of dementia that caused a sudden panic that something might go wrong. Since stepping down as CCP leader in 2012, when Hu was lauded by party media for—in a stark contrast to Xi—relinquishing power, he has been largely off the stage. Hu was seated in a prominent position next to current CCP leader Xi Jinping, and the incident was caught on camera; he appeared to ask Xi and Premier Li Keqiang a question, to which they both nodded, while Xi prevented him from taking some papers by placing his hand on them. [visibly frail](https://twitter.com/aaronMCN/status/1583775726138195970) during the Party Congress. The second possibility is that information suddenly came up that made Xi—who would have had to personally approve any such move—afraid that Hu might abstain or even vote against him in the rounds of otherwise unanimous voting that finished off the Party Congress. That wasn’t out of any great commitment to liberalism on Hu’s part but because most party members were more occupied with making money than with enforcing the party line.

Immediately after the 20th party congress concluded on Saturday, state news agency Xinhua announced the 205 members of the new Central Committee, which oversees ...

20th party congress also adopted amendments to the party constitution aimed at cementing the core status of Xi, closer to that of modern China’s founding father, Mao Zedong. On Sunday, the new central committee – the 20th Central Committee – will hold its first plenary session and will vote on candidates for the current seven-member PBSC, which represents the apex of China’s political power and is led by the 69-year-old Xi Jinping as General Secretary. While the premier is the head of the State Council, or China’s cabinet, most ministries have a direct reporting line to the party which, experts said, makes Premier’s job even difficult. Experts said, while the abrupt exit could be related to Hu’s health, it may also reflect a power struggle as the former president’s unhappiness about his closest proteges’ removal from the leadership, thus collapse of his power base. Experts said, by retiring the four veterans, Xi opens more seats at the top for the promotion of his loyalist younger leaders, as he consolidates power by crushing the factionalism and infighting that marked the tenures of former leaders Hu Jintao and Jiang Zemin. The 20th Central Committee, with 205 full members, will report to the 25-member Politburo, which will be headed by the Politburo Standing Committee (PBSC).

Hu's exit came just before the 2,300 delegates at the congress voted unanimously to endorse Xi's "core" leadership position. "Power politics on full display," ...

Complete humiliation for the last generation of pre-Xi leadership," [Communist Party congress](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/china-communist-party-congress-2022-xi-jinping-military-growth/) in a dramatic moment that disrupted the highly choreographed event. despite the fact that he has been taking time to recuperate recently. Now, he is much better," Xinhua "When he was not feeling well during the session, his staff, for his health, accompanied him to a room next to the meeting venue for a rest. [said](https://twitter.com/XHNews/status/1583829797297598465) on Twitter: "Xinhuanet reporter Liu Jiawen has learned that Hu Jintao insisted on attending the closing session...

China's ruling Communist Party reaffirmed President Xi Jinping's continued dominance in running the nation Saturday, one day ahead of giving him a widely ...

In his remarks, he said the party, which marked its 100th anniversary last year, is still in its prime. Those percentages were roughly the same as in the last Central Committee. The removal of Li, while not unexpected, signaled Xi’s continuing tight hold on power in the world’s second-largest economy. Li had already been largely sidelined, though, as Xi has taken control of most aspects of government. Jiang Zemin, 96, who was president before Hu, did not appear at this congress. Li, the nation’s No.

The former Chinese leader appeared reluctant to leave the closing ceremony of the Communist Party's congress on Saturday.

The New Era," Thomet wrote. "Footage showed that the staff first picked up Hu Jintao's glasses," Zappone added in another tweet, sharing a video of the incident. Afterwards, Xi Jinping turned his head." McDonnell suggested that Hu's health could be the reason he was led out, adding: "Only two possibilities really: power politics on display or #HuJintao is quite ill. What does he say to #LiKeqiang?" What does he say to #XiJinping?

Former Chinese leader Hu Jintao was escorted off stage during the closing session of a major Communist Party congress, where the 79-year-old had been ...

Perhaps most notably, former Hu Jintao protégé, Li Keqiang, was absent from the body, even though he’s still a year away from retirement age. He stopped briefly to exchange some words with Xi, who nodded in response, and tapped outgoing Premier Li Keqiang on the back. The incident saw Xi turning toward Hu as he prepared to leave.

Top members of China's Communist Party are gathering in Beijing Sunday to anoint the next leadership team for the world's most populous country.

García-Herrero.\n\nShe said the government was trying to convey a message: "You're watched, so you'd better be careful." Xi Jinping dropped a new phrase into the lexicon of the Chinese Communist Party this week, with a pledge to "regulate the wealth accumulation mechanism." Alicia García-Herrero, chief economist for Asia Pacific at Natixis, a French investment bank, said the use of the word "regulate" implies the government has a different approach in mind.\n\nMr.

Former Chinese top leader Hu Jintao was unexpectedly led out of the closing ceremony of a major meeting of China's ruling Communist Party Saturday, ...

On his way out, Hu was seen to pause and appeared to say something to Xi and gesture at the leader and then patted Premier Li Keqiang on the shoulder. The closing event comes one day before the reveal of the party’s new top leadership. Hu spoke with the two men briefly and initially appeared reluctant to leave.

BEIJING -- President Xi Jinping on Sunday will unveil his new inner circle, a lineup of loyalists expected to carry out his orders after he paved.

Today, we were given an unexpected detail. In the middle of today's session of the 20th Communist Party Congress, former General Secretary Hu Jintao was ...

Unfortunately, the speculation and rumormongering about Hu are a product of the secrecy of the party itself. The more important piece of information that has emerged from the congress has to do with personnel—the shuffling of party leaders into the elite decision-making bodies: the party’s Central Committee, Politburo, and Politburo Standing Committee. As of this writing, all signs suggest the party leadership will be completely dominated by Xi, in a way it hasn’t been in the first 10 years of his rule. Hu’s 10-year tenure has previously been described in the West as a “lost decade” for China, a period in which both and economic and political reform largely stalled. This would be dramatic indeed, but making such a gesture at the congress itself would be cruel and unnecessary. Still, as James Palmer of Foreign Policy noted [earlier today](https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/10/22/china-xi-jinping-hu-jintao-ccp-congress/), Hu Jintao poses little threat to Xi at this point, given his age and declining stature in the system. During the remainder of the congress, Xi will install loyalists at the top levels of the party and claim a third term as general secretary. I have seen juicier interpretations still—such as that Hu was actively being purged at that very moment and would soon be charged with corruption and formally investigated by the party’s disciplinary apparatus. Having Hu literally pulled away could be a way for Xi to signal his dominance and send a message to other elites and the public. Hu, and his allies and protégés, represent a more technocratic, moderate arm of the party—one decidedly less repressive, and more open to the outside world. Hu’s feeble exit from stage is a sad symbol of the current trajectory of Chinese politics. In the middle of today’s session of the 20th Communist Party Congress, former General Secretary Hu Jintao was abruptly escorted off stage.

Xi Jinping is expected to be granted a precedent-breaking third term at the end of a key political meeting in Beijing.

Li is the top official responsible for the development of the Greater Bay Area, Xi’s master plan for an integrated economic powerhouse of nine Chinese cities with Hong Kong and Macau. Xi and the six members of the new Politburo Standing Committee have just walked on stage. We should always remember their dedication and sacrifice.”

Xi Jinping is set to take on a third term as Chinese Communist Party chief, paving the way for lifelong rule. Follow here for live updates.

The comment was attributed to a specific Xinhua reporter, a highly unusual move. Both Xi and Li appear to have nodded; it was not clear if Xi spoke. Hu spoke with the two men briefly and initially appeared reluctant to leave.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping has formally stepped into his third term ruling China with an iron grip on power, as he revealed a top leadership body stacked ...

“The current situation is something unprecedented … we’re seeing a kind of re-centralised bureaucracy in China, which will definitely impact the future China’s economic foreign policy trajectory,” he said. Instead, Xi had filled the four open spots on the seven-member body with Xi long-time allies and proteges, Li Qiang, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang and Li Xi, clearing the path for him to rule for a third term with minimal internal resistance – and underlining that affinity to Xi trumps all else in China’s current political landscape.

The Chinese Communist Party leader broke with the traditional two-term limit, extending his authoritarian rule over the world's second-largest economy.

[erosion of civil liberties](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/hong-kong-xi-jinping-25th-anniversary-handover-rcna36274) in the Chinese territory of Hong Kong, [rights abuses in China’s Xinjiang region](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/china/un-report-cites-possible-crimes-humanity-chinas-xinjiang-rcna45792) and [Russia’s war in Ukraine](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/putin-martial-law-changes-russian-life-ukraine-rcna53394), as well as economic issues. “Politics is traditionally regarded as a male-dominated profession,” said Yun Sun, director of the China program at the Stimson Center, a think tank in Washington. Women who rise to the vice premier level tend to be given “softer” responsibilities like health, education and sports. No woman has ever served on the Politburo Standing Committee. (The previous Politburo’s only female member, Sun Chunlan, retired at 72.) ban imposed this month on the [sale of advanced computer chips to China](https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/us-aims-hobble-chinas-chip-industry-sweeping-new-export-rules-rcna51259) could constrain countries all over the world. (Chinese officials dispute the account.) The Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping introduced the limit in 1982 to prevent a return to a Mao-style cult of personality. Since coming to power in 2012, Xi has tightened the party’s grip on the state and society, sidelined political rivals and That was underlined last week when a scuffle broke out during a protest outside the Chinese Consulate in Manchester, England, with one protester being Both men had been members of the previous Politburo Standing Committee, which along with the broader Politburo is nominally elected from among the Central Committee membership. He was followed in descending order of rank by the six other members of the new Politburo Standing Committee, China’s top leadership body.

The lineup reveals the extent of Mr. Xi's control over the Chinese Community Party. He was selected for a third term as leader, breaking with recent norms.

Mr. On Saturday, Mr. [version of history crafted under Mr. In their stead, Mr. Since 2013, most members of Mr. The promotion of Mr. Then Mr. Li contrasts with Mr. But now Mr. His ties to Mr. A close aide to Mr. But his longstanding ties to Mr.

Li Qiang, party secretary of Shanghai, walked out second behind Xi at a meeting with press on Sunday. Li is a known Xi loyalist and oversaw stringent Covid ...

Xi had set the stage for an unprecedented third, five-year term as president with constitutional changes in 2018. "We expect that policy focus will not be on launching new stimulus, but on implementing the existing policies and letting them take effect," Pang said. He said China could not develop in isolation from the world, but that the world also needs China. [achieve "national rejuvenation." Top-level economic policy in China is largely set by Politburo members. [affirmed China's greater focus on national security and "high-quality" growth.](https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/16/chinas-xi-downplays-need-for-rapid-growth-proclaims-covid-achievements.html) In fact, that shift away from high-speed growth of past decades means [China faces "a new situation for attracting foreign investment,"](https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/17/chinas-new-growth-goals-require-a-change-for-attracting-foreign-investors-official-says.html) an official at the economic planner said. However, Li Keqiang has been an official face and leader of implementation in his role as premier and the head of the State Council, China's top executive body. State positions such as president and premier won't be confirmed until the next annual meeting of the Chinese government, typically held in March. - State positions such as president and premier won't be confirmed until the next annual meeting of the Chinese government, typically held in March. Outgoing Premier Li Keqiang had walked out second behind Xi at a similar meeting with press after the conclusion of the party's 19th National Congress in 2017. [Xi Jinping](https://www.cnbc.com/xi-jinping/) broke precedent Sunday by paving the way for his third term as president, and the likely appointment of a premier with no prior experience as vice premier. - Chinese President Xi Jinping broke precedent Sunday by paving the way for his third term as president, and the likely appointment of a premier with no prior experience as vice premier.

The full membership roster of the new standing committee is Xi Jinping, Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang and Li Xi. The Party ...

Li was in charge of Shanghai during its [heavily criticized](https://www.axios.com/2022/04/12/shanghai-china-covid-lockdowns)lockdown earlier this year, making his ongoing position heavily dependent on Xi's support. [said](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/oct/23/hu-jintao-not-feeling-well-when-he-left-china-congress-says-state-media)the former leader was not feeling well. [unexpectedly escorted out](https://www.axios.com/2022/10/22/former-chinese-leader-escorted-out-congress) of the closing ceremony of the Communist Party Congress on Saturday. [amended](https://www.reuters.com/world/china/chinas-communist-party-amends-its-charter-strengthens-xi-power-2022-10-22/)to enshrine Xi as the "core" leader. Li and Wang were [Xi Jinping](https://www.axios.com/2021/04/06/global-capitalism-china-repression-uyghurs) secured an unusual third term as leader of the Chinese Communist Party, the country's most powerful position, after a weeklong [Party congress session](https://www.axios.com/2022/10/16/xi-jinping-china-communist-party-congress-third-term) that ended on Sunday, [according](https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/china-xi-jinping-communist-party-congress/card/xi-jinping-gets-third-term-as-chinese-communist-party-leader-w1eIar6VDgwVJb0uJ7Gv) to Chinese state media Xinhua News Agency.

China's ruling Communist Party reaffirmed President Xi Jinping's continued dominance in running the nation Saturday.

In his remarks, he said the party, which marked its 100th anniversary last year, is still in its prime. Those percentages were roughly the same as in the last Central Committee. Xi is widely expected to retain the top spot, getting a third term as general secretary. Li had already been largely sidelined, though, as Xi has taken control of most aspects of government. The removal of Li, while not unexpected, signaled Xi's continuing tight hold on power in the world’s second-largest economy. Li, the nation's No.

On Saturday, it became clear that Xi had shuffled premier Li Keqiang and reformer Wang Yang into retirement, so he could pack the politburo standing committee – ...

“Xi’s policy of putting ideology and national security over economic development will continue for the coming five or even 10 years, as he is eager to rule until the 22nd party congress in 2032, when he will be 79.” Instead he abolished term limits on the presidency, is packing the government with allies, and could potentially become leader for life. The congress, the most important gathering of China’s five-year political cycle, brings 2,400 delegates from all over the country together to rubber-stamp decisions taken by the party elite. The 79-year-old seemed confused and reluctant to leave his seat on stage at the Great Hall of the People when he was approached by an aide or official, who whispered in his ear and tried to lift him from his seat. The week-long meeting was planned with precision and paranoia, and Xi emphasised party unity throughout. The closing session of the 20th congress of the Chinese Communist party (CCP) ended a weekend of triumph for Xi that makes him China’s most powerful ruler since Mao Zedong.

BEIJING — President Xi Jinping, China's most powerful leader in decades, increased his dominance when he was named Sunday to another term as head of the ...

2 member and Zhao Leji, a member of the previous committee, was promoted to No. The promotion of Li Qiang was especially unusual because it puts him in line to be premier despite not having experience as a Cabinet minister or vice premier. Some new Standing Committee members lack national-level government experience that typically is seen as a requirement for the post. Xi announced Li Qiang, a former Shanghai party secretary who is no relation to Li Keqiang, was the No. The party also named a seven-member Standing Committee, its inner circle of power, dominated by Xi allies after Premier Li Keqiang, the No. The official Xinhua News Agency later reported Hu was in poor health and needed to rest.

It's official: Chinese leader Xi Jinping has secured a third term as general secretary of China's Communist Party, according to the state-run Xinhua News ...

He would trail only Mao Zedong, who was party chairman for more than three decades, and Jiang Zemin, who served as general secretary for 13 years over 2½ terms, and stayed on as the chairman of the party’s Central Military Commission for roughly two more years. Xi is set to become the third-longest-serving occupant of the party’s top political office. The lack of a clear successor also suggests that Mr.

The Chinese Communist Party Congress held in Beijing over the past week started out slow but has ended with a bang. China President Xi Jinping, as expected, ...

over Taiwan and Beijing’s close ties with Russia, and has been watched by governments, businesses and investors globally for signs of future policy directions in the world’s most populous nation and second-largest economy. Incumbent, reform-minded Premier Li Keqiang wasn’t named to the new Politiburo at a time when private sector business leaders are concerned about new income redistribution measures and a government tilt in favor of state-owned enterprises. “This is the most unforgettable meet in CCP (Chinese Communist Party) history,” Tweeted Yawei Lu, director of the China Program at The Carter Center. The party meeting came amid geopolitical tension with the U.S. Lu cited the secrecy around the event, “massive revision” of the party charter, party secretary’s Xi Jinping’s third term in the position, and the “humiliating exit” of Xi predecessor Hu Jintao, among other factors. China President Xi Jinping, as expected, has won a new term as Communist Party secretary at a congress that will be memorable for his display of political power and the dramatic exit of his predecessor Hu Jintao.

Xi unveiled as general secretary of ruling Communist Party, tilting China back towards one-man rule after decades of power-sharing among elite.

Like Xi, Cai spent many years in Fujian province at the start of his career, and moved on to Zhejiang. Where it previously listed Taiwan alongside Hong Kong and Macau as a place with which to “build solidarity”. For the first time in 25 years the new politburo contains no women members where previously there was one, vice-premier Sun Chunlan, and has reduced in number to 24 from 25. “The party and country risk becoming a ‘one-voice chamber’ where only one voice will be heard. The long-speculated reappointment signalled Xi’s successful and overwhelming consolidation of power in Beijing, with retention of the role as chair of the military commission, controlling the People’s Liberation Army. It now only swears to “resolutely oppose and constrain Taiwan independence”.

China's former President Hu Jintao is escorted out of the closing ceremony of the Communist Party's 20th National Congress as President Xi Jinping and ...

In his opening address of the party congress, Xi again praised his Covid-Zero policy as a “people’s war” that has prevented fatalities and protected lives, although he didn’t acknowledge the repeated city-wide lockdowns, food shortages and lack of medical supplies that resulted. Xi had rolled out his campaign for more affordable housing in 2017, which set off a wave of policies aimed at taming skyrocketing housing prices and reining in the excessive borrowing that had become common among Chinese property developers. And in a rare display of drama at an otherwise highly choreographed event, Hu Jintao, the 79-year-old predecessor to Xi, The elevation of Shanghai Party Secretary Li Qiang is particularly noteworthy and speaks volumes to Xi’s consolidation of power. Li is most well known for overseeing the bruising month-long lockdown of Shanghai earlier this year, which triggered widespread public anger and raised doubts as to whether he might still earn a much-coveted promotion. His appointment means that he will be in firm control of the world’s second-largest economy for at least another five years at a time when it increasingly finds itself on a collision course with the U.S.

Mr. Xi has inserted himself into every corner of Chinese life, leaving no room for anointed successors.

The emphasis on lavish, highly visible homages to Mr. During the congress, photos circulated on social media of hospital patients, firefighters and even monks watching Mr. Around the country, slogans adorn malls and bridges proclaiming the centrality of Mr. The description of Mr. The museum seems designed to reinforce the cult of personality around Mr. The center photo evokes a comparison to Mao, with Mr. The museum’s closing display is a paean to Mr. He is also portrayed addressing astronauts and members of the navy. As a result, Mr. Take the Museum of the Communist Party of China, which opened last year in Beijing. Even accounts of the party’s history now revolve around Mr. But that tradition ended at the last party congress, with Mr.

Comparing Xi Jinping to Mao Zedong is "inane", scoffs Rebecca Karl, a professor of Chinese History at New York University.

"China today has no socialist characteristics" she says "The subordination of labour to capital is complete. It's hard to deny that millions of Chinese hold Xi personally responsible for the cruelty of China's grim lockdowns. "Everything and everybody got a cut, but it got out of control," he adds. As I prepared to leave China in 2008, the Soviet-era airport had given way to a glittering megastructure designed by Norman Foster. In 1992, Deng - who had remained China's "paramount leader" - declared that the party should allow "some people to get rich first". The word on everyone's lips was "xia hai" or "dive into the sea". By the time I returned in 1998 the whole country had taken to heart Deng's invocation "to get rich is glorious". "My first introduction to China was in the 1980s, when the debates about China's future were huge, significant, and consequential," Prof Karl says. He ran the Communist Party - and the country - from the republic's founding in 1949 until the day he died in 1976. Hardliners, led by Premier Li Peng, believed the students' goal was to overthrow the party, and wanted the protests quashed. The truth is Xi's path to power was far from inevitable. He is known, only half-jokingly, as the Chairman of Everything.