Shehbaz Sharif, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, extended his congratulations to China’s President Xi Jinping on his historic third term reelection. In a tweet, Sharif commended Jinping’s leadership and the trust shown by the Communist Party of China (CPC) and its 1.4 billion citizens. He expressed confidence in the further growth of the Pakistan-China relationship under Jinping’s astute governance.
Earlier today, Jinping’s reelection was announced in a precedent-breaking move as he tightened his grip on power, making him China’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong. The election, which had no other candidate, was conducted by nearly 3,000 members of China’s parliament, the National People’s Congress, who voted unanimously in favor of Jinping in the Great Hall of the People. The voting process lasted for an hour, with electronic counting completed within 15 minutes.
Jinping had already extended his power in 2018 when he abolished presidential term limits, and his leadership was further reinforced in October 2021 when he was reconfirmed as the general secretary of the central committee of the ruling Communist Party for another five years.
Over the next two days, officials selected by Jinping will fill key positions in the cabinet, including Li Qiang, the expected premier-in-waiting who will be responsible for managing the world’s second-largest economy.
Jinping will deliver a speech on Monday before the parliamentary session closes as China grapples with multiple challenges such as a pandemic-hit economy and strained relations with the West.
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