BEIJING – Xi Jinping has been re-appointed as the president of China for a third term by the National People’s Congress.
The announcement came after a unanimous vote, and delegates also re-appointed him as the head of the Central Military Commission.
Xi was unanimously elected president of the People’s Republic of China and chairman of the Central Military Commission of the PRC at the third plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th National People’s Congress (NPC) on Friday.
Xi Jinping, who also serves as the head of the Chinese Communist Party, has become the country’s most powerful leader in generations.
The National People’s Congress is a highly orchestrated event, and this week, it is set to appoint Li Qiang, an ally of Xi Jinping, as the new premier.
The vote took place at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, and the announcement was followed by declarations of loyalty and unanimity by the delegates.
Xi held up his right fist and placed his left hand on a red, leather-bound copy of China’s constitution as he took his oath of office.
In his oath, he vowed to “build a prosperous, strong, democratic, civilised, harmonious and great modern socialist country”.
Since locking in another five years as the head of the Chinese Communist Party in October, Xi Jinping has weathered widespread protests over his zero-COVID policy and the deaths of countless people after its abandonment.
However, those issues were avoided at the National People’s Congress this week. Russia, China’s close ally, has already offered its “sincere congratulations” to Xi Jinping on his re-election.
