• China’s Parliament unanimously endorsed an unprecedented third five-year term for President Xi Jinping. 

• Nearly 3,000 members of China’s Parliament, the National People’s Congress (NPC), voted unanimously in the Great Hall of the People for Xi, 69, to be President in an election where there was no other candidate.

• The voting lasted for about an hour and the electronic counting was completed in about 15 minutes.

• The stage was set for another Xi term when he did away with presidential term limits in 2018. 

• His power was already extended in the once-in-a-five-year Congress of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) as its leader in October 2022, becoming the first Chinese leader after the party founder Mao Zedong to continue in power beyond the two five-year terms.

• Xi is widely expected to continue in power for life.

• Xi has been re-elected by the party to chair its central military commission and has started his third five-year term as the Chinese armed forces commander-in-chief.

• The beginning of his unprecedented third term comes as the world’s second-largest economy faces major headwinds, from slowing growth and a troubled real estate sector to a declining birth rate. Relations with the United States are also at a low not seen in decades, with the powers sparring over everything from human rights to trade and technology.

• This year’s annual session of the NPC is regarded significant as it heralds a once-in-a-ten-year change of leadership of the Chinese government, including the Premier who presides over the State Council, the central Cabinet.

• The term of the present Premier Li Keqiang will end with this year’s NPC session. His successor is likely to be elected by the NPC on March 11. All the names of the new leadership have been approved by the Plenum of the CPC headed by Xi a few weeks ago. 

• The NPC also elected Zhao Leji, 66, as the new parliament chair and Han Zheng, 68, as the new Vice President. Both men were from Xi’s previous team of party leaders at the Politburo Standing Committee.

The rise of Chinese leader Xi Jinping

• June 15, 1953: Born in Beijing, the son of Xi Zhongxun, a senior Communist Party official and former guerrilla commander in the civil war that brought the communists to power in 1949.

• 1979-82: Joins military as aide in Central Military Commission and Defence Ministry.

• 1982-85: Assigned as deputy and then leader of the Communist Party in Zhengding county, south of Beijing in Hebei province.

• 1985: Begins 17-year stint in coastal Fujian province, a manufacturing hub, as vice mayor of the city of Xiamen.

• 2000-2002: Governor of Fujian province.

• 2002: Transferred to neighboring Zhejiang province, where he is appointed party chief, a post that outranks governor in the Chinese system.

• March 2007: Appointed party chief of Shanghai but stays only a few months.

• October 2007: Joins national leadership as one of nine members of the Politburo Standing Committee, the top leadership of the Communist Party.

• March 2008: Named Vice President of China.

• November 2012: Replaces Chinese President Hu Jintao as general secretary of the Communist Party, the top party position.

• March 2013: Starts first five-year term as the President of China

• March 2018: China’s legislature abolishes a two-term limit on the presidency, signaling Xi’s desire to stay in power for more than 10 years.

• October 2022: Xi starts a third five-year term as Communist Party leader, breaking with recent precedent that limited leaders to two terms.

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