Chinese president expected to be supported by the most loyal as he heads into an unprecedented third term.
China and the world will find out who will be running the country alongside President and party General Secretary Xi Jinping when the Communist Party wraps up its twice-a-decade Congress this weekend.
The country’s senior political leadership will be revealed on Sunday when Xi, who is expected to be confirmed as president for an unprecedented third term, walks onto the stage in the Great Hall of the People followed by members of its elite Politburo Standing Committee (PSC), the party’s top decision-making body, in descending order of importance.
The 69-year-old leader has emerged as China’s most powerful since Mao Zedong and his grip on power appears undiminished despite China’s slowing economy, public anger over restrictive pandemic measures, a growing divide with Western countries over alleged human rights abuses in places such as Xinjiang and Hong Kong, and Beijing’s refusal to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The lineup — who is in, who is not, and who will replace Premier Li Keqiang when he retires in March after completing the maximum two terms in office — will give an indication of Xi’s political strength as he moves away from the post-Mao tradition of collective leadership.
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