— after securing third term as leader

By Samuel Sukhnandan in Beijing 
PRESIDENT Xi Jinping said “the world needs China” as he addressed the global press after securing a historic third term as leader and being reappointed head of the country’s Central Military Commission on Sunday.

“China cannot develop without the world, and the world also needs China. After more than 40 years of unflagging efforts towards reform and opening up, we have created two miracles—rapid economic development and long-term social stability,” he told dozens of journalists at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People.

President Xi said at present, China’s economy is resilient, has sufficient potential, and has wide room for manoeuvring, as he asserted that the long-term good fundamentals of his country “will not change.”

“China’s door to opening up will only get bigger and bigger. We will unswervingly deepen reform and opening up in an all-round way, unswervingly promote high-quality development, and create more opportunities for the world with our own development,” he added.

The Chinese leader also promised to work with peoples of all countries to carry forward the common values of peace, development, equity, justice, democracy, and freedom for all mankind, safeguard world peace; and promote world development.

President Xi said, “On the new journey, we must always carry forward the common values of all mankind. Today’s world faces unprecedented challenges. We have always maintained that the future and destiny of mankind should be controlled and decided by the people of the world. As long as we walk the road together, all countries can live in harmony, cooperate for win-win results, and work together to create a better future for the world. ”

Meanwhile, the Chinese President also thanked members of the Communist Party of China (CPC) for their trust, stating that they must firmly bear in mind the nature and purpose of the party, its mission, and responsibilities to “work diligently, and never fail to live up to the great trust placed in us by the party and the people.”

He continued, “Now we are taking confident strides on a new journey to turn China into a modern socialist country in all respects. To advance to the second centenary goal and to embrace the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts, for a Chinese path to modernisation. ”

NEW LEADERSHIP 
The Politburo Standing Committee of the CCP also elected President Xi as its General-Secretary for another five-year term on Sunday. The 69-year-old leader’s third term as China’s president is due to be formally announced during the government’s annual legislative sessions next year.

His instalment came after the week-long national congress, where over 2,000 senior party delegates endorsed his “core position” in the leadership and approved a sweeping reshuffle that saw four new faces added to the top leadership of the country.

In addition to President Xi, the Central Committee elected Mr. Li Qiang, who now holds the second-highest ranking position in the Politburo Standing Committee and who is slated to become the country’s next premier.

The other members are Mr. Zhao Leji, who is in line to head the National People’s Congress, the legislature of the country, and Mr. Cai Qi, the current Beijing party chief, who will now head the General Secretariat of the party.

Meanwhile, Mr. Wang Huning, a member of the Committee since 2017, and Mr. Ding Xuexiang, who has served as head of the General Office since 2017 as well, have both been elevated within the top political circle.

On the other hand, the current party chief of the economic powerhouse, Guangdong province, Li Xi, was also confirmed as head of the powerful Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, the party’s powerful anti-graft watchdog.

President Xi has been at the helm of this important policy-making body since 2012, steering China to the world’s second-largest economy and nearly equal military prowess. He will start his third term as president in March 2023.

(Reporting courtesy of NCN Editor, Samuel Sukhnandan, who is currently in Beijing on a China International Press Communication Centre (CIPCC) 2022 Fellowship at the invitation of the China Public Diplomacy Association)