China's leader Xi Jinping has secured a historic third term as president from the country's parliament. It follows a consolidation of power that has made Xi, 69, China's most dominant leader in generations. In the Chinese system of governance, the functions of the president are largely ceremonial. Xi's power comes from him being General Secretary of the Communist Party and Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC). He was handed both posts at a party congress last October. Confirmation of his third term as president had been widely expected. The naming of a new premier and various ministers in the coming days is considered more important. The new appointees are mostly expected to be Xi Jinping loyalists. This includes Li Qiang, who is tipped to serve as Xi's number two. On Friday, Xi also gained another term as the chairman of the CMC of the People's Republic of China. There are two CMCs in the country - one is a party organization while another is a state institution - but their makeup is usually the same. Xi has solidified his rule as China reopens from his bruising zero-Covid policy that has fuelled anti-government protests. The country is also facing a falling birth rate that threatens its economic growth engine. Ties between Beijing and Washington remain testy, recently highlighted by allegations China had been spying on the US with balloons. "Whether a strengthened Xi and increasing centralization is sufficient to overcome these problems — or perhaps make them worse — is unknown and perhaps not knowable at present," Ian Chong, a political scientist at the National University Singapore, told the BBC. "In a sense, Xi is betting that centralization under the party with him at the helm is a solution to these disparate issues," he said. The so-called Two Sessions of the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) this week is closely watched as it provides a glimpse into China's direction in the coming years. Since Mao Zedong, leaders in China had been limited to two terms in office. When Xi had this restriction changed in 2018, it transformed him into a figure with a reach not seen since Chairman Mao. Also on Friday, the national legislature appointed Han Zheng, a 68-year-old former Politburo Standing Committee member, as vice president. The importance of the position varies since its functions are not fully defined. However, the last vice president, Wang Qishan, fronted Xi's anti-corruption campaign, Chong said. Chances are that Han will follow Xi's direction closely and enforce the president's policies as necessary, he added. — BBC
