Chinese President Xi Jinping waves during a meeting between members of the standing committee of the Political Bureau of the 20th CPC Central Committee
(Picture: Getty Images)Chinese President Xi Jinping retained his hold on the world’s second-largest economy after securing a historic third term as leader on Sunday.
Xi, who took power in 2012, was awarded a third five-year term as general secretary, discarding a party custom under which his predecessor left after 10 years, during the final day of the Communist Party Congress.
The break from tradition makes him the most powerful leader in China since Chairman Mao.
The congress in Beijing also approved an amendment to the constitution that Xi said "sets out clear requirements for upholding and strengthening the party’s leadership".
The 69-year-old leader is expected by some to try to stay in power for life.
Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated the Chinese President on Sunday said he looked forward to further developing a "comprehensive partnership" between their two countries.
"The results of the Party Congress fully confirm your high political authority, as well as the unity of the party you lead," Mr Putin told Xi, according to the Kremlin’s website.
Premier Li Keqiang, the nation’s No 2 and an advocate of economic reforms, is among four of the seven members of the main Politburo Standing Committee not reappointed.
His departure is seen as further affirmation of Xi’s tight grip on power.
Li Qiang, a former Shanghai party secretary, has been appointed as Xi’s number two. The holder of that post has since the 1990s, served as premier, the top economic official.
Other new Standing Committee members include Cai Qi, the Beijing party secretary, and Ding Xuexiang, a career party manager who is regarded as Xi’s “alter ego” or chief of staff.
Wang Huning, the party’s chief of ideology, stayed on the committee. The seventh member is Li Xi, the party secretary since 2017 of Guangdong province in the southeast, the centre of China’s export-oriented manufacturing industry.
It came as Hu Jintao, 79, was led away during the closing ceremony of the Chinese Communist Party Congress in Beijing, which was being broadcast live.
Images of the scene were immediately censored from China’s TV and social media. State media later said that Hu was “not feeling well”.
Hu, who was president from 2003 to 2013, was sitting next to current the leader when two masked officials appeared to ask him to leave.
At first Hu seemed to refuse, and one of the officials tried to lift him off his seat. After exchanging a word with Xi, he was escorted away.
