Xi Jinping most likely to be given unprecedented third term
Following a spokesman’s confirmation that the Communist Party’s 20th Congress will conclude the previous day, it was revealed on Saturday that President Xi Jinping is anticipated to be given an unprecedented third term in power on October 23.
The Great Hall of the People in Beijing will host some 2,300 party representatives from every province beginning on Sunday for the largely secretive conclave that will approve the country’s new leadership structure.
The opening ceremony for the five-yearly talking shop will start at 10:00 am (0200 GMT), and Xi is anticipated to give a lengthy speech that will include an evaluation of the past term as well as a plan for the coming five years.
If everything goes according to plan, 69-year-old Xi will be re-confirmed as the party’s general secretary during the week-long gathering, solidifying his status as China’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong.
The 2,296 attendees will elect the party’s top leadership body, the 25-member Politburo and its all-powerful Standing Committee, as well as members of the Central Committee, the party’s roughly 200-member body.
If this year’s Congress follows the same pattern as past ones, the new Standing Committee—which is now made up of seven men, including General Secretary Xi—should be announced the day after the Congress adjourns.
The closure date of October 22 has been confirmed, and Sun Yeli, a spokesman for the Congress, told reporters that “the Congress’s preparations have now been entirely completed.”
Sun stated during the two-hour press conference that the percentage of female delegates had increased from 24% at the previous Congress in 2017 to 27%. During the press conference, questions from the Chinese state media and some international outlets were also asked.
Regarding Xi, no queries were raised.
In accordance with a strict zero-COVID policy, China is staging Sunday’s opening ceremony while enclosing organisers and journalists in a virus-secure bubble two days beforehand.
In order to attend activities, some of which are being held remotely via video link rather than in person, participants must take daily COVID-19 assessments.
Organisers have put up a press centre at a hotel in western Beijing, which is crowded with displays praising Xi and decorated in the distinctive red and gold of the Communist Party.
Tables heaped high with books on Xi’s ideology and China’s development can be seen all over the place, and one exhibit includes an AI-driven “digital human” that can perform songs and jokes upon request.
The #CCP reaffirmed leader #XiJinping as the Party’s core on Oct. 12, days before Xi is expected to secure an unprecedented 3rd term in power at the twice-in-decade CCP Congress due to kick off on Sunday. https://t.co/96xly5sLCP
— The Epoch Times – China Insider (@EpochTimesChina) October 13, 2022
