Xi Jinping started an unprecedented third time period as China’s president on Friday, cementing the Chinese language chief’s unchallenged grip on energy amid rising tensions with the US and deepening financial challenges at residence.

In a solemn ceremony at Beijing’s Nice Corridor of the Folks, China’s strongest chief since Mao Zedong was sworn in as head of state for an additional 5 years.

Whereas the formal appointment was largely ceremonial — Xi secured the extra highly effective posts as head of China’s Communist get together and navy management on the get together congress in October — his reinstatement as head of state comes at a delicate second for China’s relations with the world.

Beneath strain from Washington’s export controls on semiconductors, allegations of spying and scrutiny of Beijing’s shut relationship with Moscow, Xi this week explicitly named the US because the chief of a western effort to include China. Whereas he typically engages in nationalist rhetoric, the Chinese language chief hardly ever instantly criticises the US.

“I believe the largest change is actually the collapse of China’s relations with the US prior to now 10 years,” mentioned Minxin Pei, professor of presidency at Claremont McKenna Faculty in California and writer of quite a few books on China, of Xi’s first decade in energy. Pei added that with the Chinese language economic system struggling, reigniting a way of optimism could be one of many president’s greatest challenges going ahead.

“How can he rebalance, how can he make folks extra optimistic whereas saying there’s this large ugly adversary on the market attempting to choke us off?” Pei mentioned.

Xi’s appointment was handed with 2,952 votes in favour and 0 in opposition to on the annual assembly of the Nationwide Folks’s Congress, China’s rubber-stamp parliament whose members are appointed by the get together.

Friday’s announcement of a 3rd time period completes a course of Xi began in 2018 by abolishing two-term limits on the presidency, successfully permitting him to rule for all times if he chooses.

After singing China’s nationwide anthem, an honour guard escorted a duplicate of China’s structure into the Nice Corridor of the Folks and Xi took the oath of workplace, promising “to work arduous to construct a affluent, sturdy, democratic, civilised, harmonious and exquisite trendy socialist nation”.

China’s economic system is anticipated to rebound this yr after progress fell to one of many lowest ranges in a long time in 2022 due to Xi’s draconian zero-Covid insurance policies, however economists are involved that medium-term progress will probably be harder to realize. The property sector and native governments proceed to wrestle with debt, and efforts to rebalance the economic system away from funding and in the direction of consumption have but to bear fruit.

The congress additionally appointed vice-premier and get together veteran Han Zheng as vice-president, a largely ceremonial function that’s meant to behave as a test on the president’s energy.

Whereas Han is a political survivor from the times of the late president Jiang Zemin, he’s anticipated to have little affect within the present authorities, mentioned Wu Qiang, an unbiased political commentator in Beijing.

On the get together congress in October, Xi was in a position to stack the Communist get together’s prime decision-making physique, the Politburo Standing Committee, with shut allies.

“With all Xi’s folks within the standing committee and prime positions, Han Zheng will stay below Xi’s shadow and play a really restricted function,” mentioned Wu.

The parliament additionally confirmed Zhao Leji, a detailed ally of Xi, as its new chair. He was previously head of the get together’s robust inner investigation company, the Central Fee for Self-discipline Inspection.

“It reveals Xi is happy with Zhao’s work within the CCDI,” mentioned Wu.

Further reporting by Xinning Liu and Nian Liu in Beijing