Originally posted by the Voice of America.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping Gets New Five-Year Term

by VOA News

   Chinese President Xi Jinping was formally chosen to serve a second
   five-year term as Communist Party leader Wednesday.

   The 64-year-old Xi stood side-by-side with the five new members of the
   ruling Politburo Standing Committee at Beijing's Great Hall of the
   People after they were chosen by the Central Committee. The new members
   include Zhao Leji, who takes over the party's Central Commission for
   Discipline Inspection from Wang Qishan, who led President Xi's sweeping
   anti-corruption drive.

   The only other member returning from the previous ruling Politburo
   along with Xi Jinping is 62-year-old Premier Li Keqiang. The other
   members are also 60 years old or older, leaving the party without an
   heir apparent once Xi's tenure ends in 2022. Analysts say the absence
   of a clear successor suggests Xi may remain in power well past 2022.

   Xi's new mandate was a foregone conclusion, especially after his name
   was enshrined in the Communist Party's constitution earlier this week
   at the closing session of the once-in-five-year party congress on
   Tuesday. He is only the third Chinese leader to have his name elevated
   to iconic status, next to Mao Zedong, the founding father of Communist
   China, and Deng Xiaoping, whose economic reforms led to China's current
   status as a global economic power.

   The concept that bears Xi's name ("Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with
   Chinese Characteristics for a New Era") places the Communist Party at
   the forefront of everyday life in China, from overseeing the economy
   and national security to providing moral guidance to its citizens.