China’s annual parliament has appointed Xi Jinping to a second term as leader and Li Keqiang as premier, while naming a senior official to head a new anti-corruption agency. As expected, Mr Xi won unanimous approval at the National People’s Congress for his reappointment as China’s president, and following changes in the constitution agreed earlier at the parliament, there are no limits on how many terms he can serve. Mr Xi received all 2,970 votes for the presidency and for his position as head of the Central Military Commission. The Communist Party’s official organ People’s Daily hailed Mr Xi as a “leader loved and respected by the people”. This position usually has responsibility for the economy but Mr Xi has assumed some of the high-profile roles the job involves.

Source: The Irish Times March 18, 2018 16:18 UTC