Chinese President Xi Jinping is preparing for a third term with even more power after removing key Communist Party leaders from the top governing body to put his allies there, News.ro reported, citing CNN.

Congress of the Communist Party of ChinaPhoto: Andy Wong/AP/Profimedia

The week-long Congress of the Communist Party concluded on Saturday with the announcement of a new Central Committee – the party’s 200-strong central leadership, which is to elect a new Politburo and Standing Committee on Sunday.

The new Central Committee did not include Premier Li Keqiang and Wang Yang, who do not have close ties to Xi.

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Xi Jinping was due to be re-elected general secretary of the party for another five years on Sunday, which would even pave the way for him to lead the country for life. At 69, Xi has reached the unofficial age of 68, when party leaders retire. Xi’s name is on the list of members of the new Central Committee.

Li Keqiang and Wang Yang are both 67 years old and eligible for a new Politburo term under retirement rules. But they leave earlier from the top of the party government.

According to the Constitution, Lee will have to step down as prime minister in March. The constitution stipulates that the prime minister can have only two mandates. Wang, who heads the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, has been seen by some as a possible successor to Li.

The departure of the two frees up two seats on the Standing Committee for protégés and allies of Xi Jinping. In addition, two more committee members have reached retirement age and are due to retire.

The closing ceremony of the Communist Party Congress on Saturday was marked by an unexpected moment: former President Hu Jintao was escorted out of the hall. Hu, 79, was sitting in the presidium next to Xi Jinping when a staff member approached him and asked him to leave the room. The circumstances of the ex-leader’s removal from the hall are unknown, but the footage published on social networks shows that he was hardly persuaded to leave.

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