The Chinese Communist Party’s central committee wants to pave the way for a third term in office for party leader and President Xi Jinping. The party’s 370 or so members gathered in Beijing on Monday for a four-day meeting to discuss a “historic resolution.”
It is only the third time in the party’s 100-year history, after 1945 and 1981, that such a resolution will be passed.
The resolution will officially describe the party’s “great achievements and historical experiences”. However, observers believe the document is mainly intended to strengthen Xi’s position of power ahead of the party congress in the fall of 2022. A third term in office becomes possible.
Xi would become the first leader to start the third term since the revolutionary and founder of the People’s Republic of China, Mao Zedong.
In the run-up to the committee’s meeting, the Chinese state media also glorified the president. Xinhua news agency described Xi as “a man of determination and a man of action, a man of deep thoughts and feelings”. And the willingness to work and the visions of the president are also widely praised.
