Xi Jinping certifies his third term in office and introduces the new CCP leadership

The president of China and general secretary of the Communist Party, Xi Jinping, has presented on Sunday the four new members of the Politburo Standing Committee of the party, a body that constitutes the top leadership of the Asian giant. They will be in charge of governing the regime's affairs for the next five years. 

In addition to Xi (1) and Zhao Leji (3) and Wang Huning (4), who remain on the body, the new members are Li Qiang (2), Cai Qi (5), Ding Xuexiang (6) and Li Xi (7), as the president presented them to the press at an event at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. The hitherto CCP No. 2, 3, 4 and 7, Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang and Han Zheng, retired for reasons of age. 

There are no women in the highest organ of power in the Asian giant - nor in the Politburo, for the first time in 25 years - and any hint of opposition to Xi has disappeared as Vice Premier Hu Chunhua, the only representative of former President Hu Jintao's faction, and the current Prime Minister (now on his way out), Li Keqiang, have been left out. In this way, the Chinese leader bans the representatives of the Communist Youth League, considered the most liberal and pragmatic faction of the country's leadership, from the highest echelons. 

Xi was also re-elected CCP general secretary and chairman of the party's Central Military Commission on Sunday. 

In a brief and sober speech to the press to introduce the new members of the Standing Committee, the Chinese leader reeled off his usual slogans and urged the century-old communist formation to continue to "flourish in its own revolution" and "become the strongest and most reliable backbone of the Chinese people". "Faced with new challenges on this new road, we must remain on high alert, always maintain sobriety and prudence, and forge ahead with strict and comprehensive party governance," Xi said. 

He reiterated that the world "faces unprecedented challenges" and added that "China cannot develop without the world, and the world also needs China". "After more than 40 years of unremitting efforts in reform and opening up, we have created two miracles of rapid economic development and long-term social stability. At present, China's economy is resilient and has great potential and manoeuvrability," he said. 

Joining the 69-year-old Xi are four new faces in China's leadership, all men between the ages of 60 and 66. None, at first glance, looks like a potential dauphin. 

Li Qiang, 62. In theory to replace the current premier, Li Keqiang, next March, Xi has appointed Li Qiang, secretary general of the CCP in Shanghai, as his number two. Li has risen through the ranks despite failing to stem a spate of COVID-19 cases in the eastern metropolis last spring that led to a harsh confinement of nearly three months. His appointment has been influenced by his toughness in imposing restrictions and his friendship with Xi, whom he accompanied on a state visit to the United States in 2015. 

Cai Qi, 66. Cai Qi, the CCP secretary in the capital, Beijing, who worked with Xi when he led the Party in Zhejiang, will also be part of the select group. Cai was also the chairman of the Beijing Organising Committee for the 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, and has also been noted for leading - in Chinese eyes - an efficient response to COVID-19 in the capital. 

Ding Xuexiang, 60. He is another well-known ally of Xi's, with whom he first became acquainted when Xi served temporarily as secretary general in Shanghai. Since then, they have worked closely together. In recent years, Ding has been prominent as director of the CCP's general office, a position that can be defined as Xi's chief of staff. 

Li Xi, 66. The current secretary general of the CCP in Canton province -he previously held the same post in Liaoning province- has also made the leap to the top of the CCP. Li forged close ties with Xi's family by leading the prefecture of Yan'an, the end point of Mao's Long March and the centre of revolutionary China between 1935 and 1949, when the People's Republic was proclaimed. The leader has been appointed head of the party's feared disciplinary commission, one of Xi's "flagship projects", which in the past five years has investigated more than 4.6 million cases within the party. 

The former is part of Xi's inner circle and has been the CCP's main advisor and "ideologue" in recent years, advocating a strong, centralised state. His possible reward could be a promotion to the presidency of the National People's Congress (NPC), China's legislature. For his part, Zhao has so far headed the Party's anti-corruption body and experts believe that after being succeeded by Li Xi he could go on to head China's main advisory body.