Xi Jinping readies for another five-year term

China’s Xi Jinping spoke for almost two hours Monday about everything from the country’s zero COVID-19 policy to implementing a “peaceful reunification” with Taiwan. He emphasized security in the speech he gave to 2,300 delegates in the Great Hall of the People, the large state building on the western edge of Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The Communist Party Congress is set to run all week behind closed doors tackling the party’s constitution and the likely reinstallment of Xi as the leader. 

Why are they likely to reinstate Xi? The leader did not pick an obvious successor at the end of his last term in 2017, setting himself up for a third term. The 69-year-old Xi’s reinstatement would be out of the ordinary since Chinese leaders usually step down after two five-year terms. Typically the party announces the leadership for the next five years the day after the congress ends—that may include possible successors for Xi. 

Dig deeper: Read June Cheng’s report in WORLD magazine on China silencing home churches.