BEIJING – With Xi Jinping at the helm, China’s Communist Party on Wednesday announced its new seven-member senior leadership body, a day after Xi’s thought added to the constitution.
Five new members have been included in the powerful body, Politbur Standing Committee, but there is no clear successor of the Chinese President Xi, speculating that he would rule beyond 2022.
The new members were selected by 204 party members during a closed-door voting, while two old members named Xi, 64 and premier Li Keqiang, 62 will continue to hold the position.
The new committee members include Wang Yang, Han Zheng, Zhao Leji, Li Zhanshu and Wang Huning, who have also been given new tasks.
Sixty-two-year old Vice-Premier Wang Yang has been promoted to executive vice-premier of China, while Han Zheng, 63, will head the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.
Similarly, Zhao Leji, 60 has been tasked with anti-corruption body and Zhanshu would lead China’s parliament.
Earlier, it was expected that Chinese president would pick Chen Miner and Hu Chunhua, Guangdong party secretary, both of whom are in their 50s, who are expected to succeed Xi.
But all the new members of the committee are in their 60s and would be retiring with the end of this five-year period.
Xi, who came into power as in 2012, will continue his new term as of this year’s Congress.
Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era
China’s ruling Communist Party on Tuesday added President Xi Jinping’s name and his ideology to its constitution declaring him most powerful since Mao Zedong, founder of the party.
The incredible move took place at the end of 19th party Congress, which is held twice a decade, in Beijing by including Xi’s concept of “socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era” to party charter.
This amendment means that any challenge to Xi will now be taken as a threat to the ruling party.
Speaking on the occasion, the president said that great and bright future was waiting for Chinese nationals ahead, adding, “Today we, more than 1.3bn Chinese people, live in jubilation and dignity. Our land … radiates with enormous dynamism. Our Chinese civilisation shines with lasting splendour and glamour.”
