President Xi Jinping was on Thursday anointed as the “core” leader of China’s ruling Communist Party, conferring on him a status similar to that of party founder ‘Chairman’ Mao Zedong and allowing him to further tighten his grip on the party, military and Government.
At the same time, a key meeting of the Communist Party of China (CPC) decided to carry on with the collective leadership system, introduced in 1981 to ensure that no individual dominated the party leadership.