Chinese president Xi Jinping is all set to start his unprecedented third term with even greater concentration of power as he is retiring top Chinese Communist Party leaders to make way for his own allies.
The once-in-five-year National Congress will be concluded on Saturday. The Congress revealed newly-formed Central Committee, the party's main leadership body. Of the 205 members listed, only 11 are women. Xi's name is included in the list of new Central Committee members, reported CNN.
The newly-formed Central Committee will select a new slate of top leaders and Xi is also expected to be appointed as CCP's general secretary on Sunday.
The Chinese Premier, the second most powerful official after Xi, is not listed in the new Central Committee, which means that Li will retire from his party role.
At the closing ceremony of Chinese national Congress, the Communist Party claimed Taiwan as its territory, despite the fact that they have never controlled it, reported CNN.
Meanwhile, today, during the closing ceremony of National congress, former Chinese president Hu Jintao was unexpectedly escorted out of the 'Great Hall of the People' in Beijing.
Hu Jintao, 79, was removed by unnamed Chinese Communist Party (CCP) agents during today's closing ceremony of the congress, which is held once in five years.
The reason is unclear as to why the Chinese leader was removed, and more details were awaited.
However, information about such incidents is rarely revealed by China.
As Hu was being removed, the former leader looked at Xi Jinping and had a conversation that was not audible to the cameras that captured the moment.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang was also seen next to Xi, who also remained stone-faced and did not react as the former Chinese president was being removed.
According to a Reuters report, the Chinese Communist Party amended its constitution to make Xi Jinping the "Core" of its party. It is now expected that Xi Jinping will remain the final authority in China.
Tomorrow, the new members of the party's Standing Committee will make their first appearance in the "Great Hall of the People," where the entire 20th National congress took place, and is expected to confirm Xi's step into a norm-breaking third term and cement his place as China's most powerful leader in decades, according to CNN.
The congress is taking place at one of the most perilous periods in international affairs in recent years. A war is raging in Ukraine as President Vladimir Putin attempts to burnish his credentials as a great Russian leader, and China remains a staunch supporter of this would-be tsar.
At the same time, Taiwan Strait tensions are at their highest in decades, as China attempts to pummel Taipei into acquiescence.
( With inputs from ANI )
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