Xi Jinping sets record-breaking precedent with third term reappointment as general secretary

China’s president Xi Jinping is breaking the record of term limits by recently being confirmed as the leader of the Chinese Communist Party for a third term. According to The Guardian, Xi was unveiled as general secretary of the party, tilting the country back toward a one-man rule after decades of sharing power among the elite. The long-speculated reappointment signalled Xi’s successful consolidation of power in China’s capital. He has retained the role as chair of the military commission, controlling the People’s Liberation Army. But, it is expected that he will regain the less powerful title of president next year.

The breaking of the previous two-term limit for holding office in China’s government occurred back in 2018. Xi led the abolishment of term limits on leaders, paving the way for him to potentially become a leader for life. Anti-corruption purges during his tenure and this week’s affirmation of his reappointment have ensured that there will be little opposition remaining.

Such “purges” included senior rivals of Xi, who were in the 205-member central committee, being sent into retirement. The 20th Party Congress, which is the most important meeting of the ruling CCP’s five-year political cycle, had about 2,400 delegates gather to officially approve major party reshuffles and constitutional changes before its official close yesterday.

Saturday’s meeting also revealed constitutional changes that enshrined Xi’s political beliefs as the core of the CCP. Such an ideological shift in the party has raised concerns about an impending rise of a Maoist “cult of personality” around Xi. Other separate amendments reaffirmed the country’s increasingly aggressive stance on Taiwan in the constitution. Previously, it listed Taiwan alongside Hong Kong and Macau as a place with which to “build solidarity.” Now, such amendments have changed the rhetoric to swearing on resolutely opposing and constraining Taiwan’s independence.