Xi Jinping unanimously elected Chinese president for historic third term

Xi Jinping has secured an unprecedented third term as China's president after the country's parliament voted unanimously to make him the longest-serving leader since founding father Mao Zedong.

Nearly 3,000 members of the National People’s Congress (NPC) voted collectively on Friday at the ongoing session of the 14th National People's Congress for the incumbent president after the constitution was amended to remove the traditional two-term limit for the post.

Chinese parliament, whose members are appointed by the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC), cast 2,952 votes in favor of Xi over about an hour, while no one voted against him.

Xi was also unanimously named chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), which makes him the commander of the two-million-member People’s Liberation Army (PLA), China's principal military force.

The 69-year-old Chinese leader was handed a third five-year term as party general secretary in October, breaking with a tradition under which Chinese leaders relinquished power after a decade.

Xi took an oath over a copy of the Chinese constitution, and vowed to “build a prosperous, strong, democratic, civilized, harmonious and great modern socialist country”.

"I swear to be loyal to the constitution of the People's Republic of China, to uphold the authority of the constitution, to perform my statutory obligations, to be loyal to the motherland, to be loyal to the people," he said, promising to fulfill his duties with honesty.

After the result was announced, there was sustained applause for close to a minute, with Xi bowing to the audience.

Xi’s coronation makes him the country's longest-serving president, and also signals that he could rule well into his seventies if no challenger emerges. 

He is also set to become the most powerful leader of the world’s second-largest economy since Chairman Mao Zedong.

"He really has a vision about China; he wants to see China as the most powerful country in the world," Adrian Geiges, co-author of "Xi Jinping: The Most Powerful Man in the World", told AFP.

Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Xi, hailing the strengthening ties between the two countries.

"Dear friend, please accept sincere congratulations on the occasion of your reelection," Putin said in a statement released by the Kremlin.

"Russia highly values your personal contribution toward the strengthening of ties... and strategic cooperation between our nations," he said. 

"I am certain that working together, we will ensure the development of fruitful Russian-Chinese cooperation in all sorts of different areas. We will continue to coordinate joint work on the most important regional and international issues."

Former vice-premier Han Zheng was also elected the new vice-president and former chief of the party’s top anti-corruption commission Zhao Leji was named the new parliamentary chair.

Xi is expected to make a speech on Monday – the final day of the annual parliamentary session – while Li will convene a press conference.

In 2018, the Chinese parliament made amendments to the constitution to scrap a two-term limit on the presidency.

As the parliament commenced on Sunday, China announced an economic target for the year at "around 5 percent", which follows a 3 percent expansion in 2022 -- one of the country's slowest growth rates since the 1970s and well below the official target of 5.5 percent.

President Xi calls out US-led 'containment, encirclement and suppression’ of China

Chinese President Xi Jinping strongly rebukes the US in a speech at an annual summit of the ruling Communist Party, saying Washington is leading a “containment, encirclement and suppression of China”.

Xi's return as the Chinese president comes amid growing tensions between China and the United States over a range of issues.

"We will see a China more assertive on the global stage, insisting its narrative be accepted," Steve Tsang, director of the SOAS China Institute, told AFP.

Earlier this week, in a speech to delegates at the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), which runs alongside the NPC this week, Xi strongly rebuked Washington.

"Western countries led by the United States have implemented all-round containment, encirclement and suppression of China, which has brought unprecedented severe challenges to our country's development," he was quoted as saying.

China, he added, must “have the courage to fight as the country faces profound and complex changes in both the domestic and international landscape”.

Xi also pledged to enhance China's manufacturing capacity, stressing that the country should be able to fend for itself.

"I've always said there are two critical areas for China: one is to safeguard our rice bowl, and the other is to build up a strong manufacturing sector," he said.

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