History has been made in China after it was confirmed that President Xi Jinping will remain in power, breaking with a decades-old precedent that limits the terms of Chinese leaders.
Having ruled China for 10 years, Xi will now serve at least another five-year term and could, in theory, become leader for life.
The break with tradition makes him China’s most powerful leader since Chairman Mao, and his vision has become increasingly unquestionable.
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1:24 The former president of China was escorted out
The confirmation came at the end of the week-long 20th Congress of the Communist Party of China.
The event takes place once every five years and has the central purpose of selecting the people who will occupy the main leadership positions for the next five years.
This includes the two groups considered to be the pinnacle of political power in China: the 25-member Politburo and the seven-member Politburo Standing Committee, including the president.
The new standing committee was revealed as President Xi led them on stage in order of rank. His leadership of the procession served as confirmation that he will remain as general secretary of the party. His official confirmation as president will take place in March.
The two-term limit for Chinese presidents was introduced in the early 1980s after the death of Chairman Mao.
Mao’s almost 30 years of rule bought great chaos, violence and instability in China, and the idea was to move to a more “collective leadership” model and ensure that power could never again be so centralized in the hands of a single person.
In 2018, Xi successfully removed the two-term limit from the constitution, paving the way for his consolidation of power this weekend.
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3:08 Xi Jinping is preparing to strengthen his grip on China
There were other constitutional amendments made this week to further highlight Mr Xi’s “core” status at the center of the party.
Changes to the Politburo Standing Committee also suggest that it has become increasingly unquestioned.
Two figures in particular, Li Keqiang and Wang Yang, stand out in their descent from the standing committee. Both are young enough to serve another term and are said to be more reform-minded, but neither is considered loyal to the Xi arch.
With two more retirements, there were four new faces in the top team. All four are men considered to be within Mr. Xi’s inner circle. All have worked closely with him at various points in their careers and are likely to be highly trusted.
It represents Mr Xi filling the standing committee with his closest allies and appearing to offer little as an olive branch to other wings of the party.
There was also no obvious successor to the standing committee. A designated successor is usually anyone on that team who is young enough to serve a standing term and two terms as leader, all before the retirement age of 68, but there was no one on this age
This indicates that Xi may intend to stay for another 10 years or more.
His consolidated position is very important in China and around the world because it means that his vision of the country is here to stay.
Under his leadership, China has become increasingly rich and powerful. His ultra-nationalist vision has made him more assertive on the foreign stage and unapologetic about his rise.
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1:01 A Uighur living in exile speaks
But in his ten years in power, President Xi has also centralized much power within the state and party under his control. He has purged rivals and stifled dissent.
People in China are under increasingly intense surveillance and censorship, while journalists, lawyers and civil society groups have been largely silenced.
In his speech he spoke of his ambition for a “great rejuvenation” of China, but repeated mention of a “dangerous storm” and “rough waters” ahead that may worry some international observers.
Experts say it would now take a political earthquake to topple him, something that looks increasingly unlikely.