In a historic event, Chinese President Xi Jinping was awarded an unprecedented third five-year term as China's president. Xi was voted unanimously by the National People's Congress in an election with no opponent.
This would make the 69-year-old leader the most powerful leader to rule China in generations since Mao Zedong. The 20th Communist Party Congress held in China last October made him the leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the People's Liberation Army (PLA), thereby establishing him as the most powerful leader.
Xi's stronghold over the party became clear as he did away with the presidential term limits in 2018 and the party Congress in October only reconfirmed his grip over the party. He is now expected to fill top positions in the cabinet, which will see his close ally Li Qiang get selected as the new premier.
The parliament also elected Zhao Leji, 66, as the new parliament chair and Han Zheng, 68, as the new vice president. Both men were from Xi's previous team of party leaders at the Politburo Standing Committee.
Footage from the event saw Xi chatting casually with Li as over 2,900 delegates deposited voting slips into electronic ballot boxes. The voting lasted for about an hour and the electronic counting was completed in about 15 minutes, reported Reuters.
Xi's third term comes amid the Chinese economy facing headwinds following the Covid outbreak. While the growth plunged, China also witnessed unprecedented protests against the Zero Covid policy the recent months. Adding to the woes are the troubled real estate sector and the declining birthrate.
The National People's Congress also grabbed the limelight after the top leaders lashed out against the US for trying to "suppressing China." This comes as the relations between the two countries hit a new low following the spy balloon saga.
The conference also Xi issuing a blunt rebuke of U.S. policy to suppress China. “Western countries—led by the U.S.—have implemented all-round containment, encirclement and suppression against us, bringing unprecedentedly severe challenges to our country’s development," Xi was quoted by state media.
In his third term, experts believe Xi may seek to define his legacy through bold action over the next five years. "This certainly will involve pushing through effective party leadership in every realm domestically, ‘standing tall’ in foreign policy, and being prepared for robustly defending Chinese interests internationally though such an approach carries significant risks," said Daniel Leese, a professor of Chinese history at the University of Freiburg in Germany, told The Wall Street Journal.
