ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif felicitated President Xi Jinping on his reappointment as general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the country’s military chief for a record third term.
Alvi, on his Twitter account, extended his heartiest congratulations to President Jinping on his re-election, and best wishes for his “health and happiness”.
I extend heartiest congratulations to H.E. Xi Jinping on his reelection as CPC General Secretary, and my best wishes for his health and happiness. He is a true friend of Pakistan and champion for All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership between Pakistan and China. 🇵🇰 🇨🇳
— The President of Pakistan (@PresOfPakistan) October 23, 2022
“He is a true friend of Pakistan and champion for All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership between Pakistan and China,” the president posted in a tweet.
On his Twitter, the prime minister posted: “On behalf of the entire Pakistani nation, I congratulate President Xi Jinping on his re-election as CPC General Secretary for the 3rd term.”
The prime minister further said that it was a glowing tribute to President Xi’s sagacious stewardship and unwavering devotion to serving the people of China.
On behalf of the entire Pakistani nation, I congratulate President Xi Jinping on his reelection as CPC General Secretary for the 3rd term. It is a glowing tribute to his sagacious stewardship and unwavering devotion for serving the people of China. 🇵🇰 🇨🇳
— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) October 23, 2022
Jinping secured a precedent-breaking third leadership term on Sunday and introduced a new top governing body stacked with loyalists, cementing his place as the country’s most powerful ruler since Mao Zedong.
Shanghai Communist Party chief Li Qiang, 63, followed Xi onto the stage at the Great Hall of the People as the new Politburo Standing Committee was introduced, putting him in line to succeed Li Keqiang as premier when he retires in March.
The other members of the seven-man Standing Committee are Zhao Leji and Wang Huning, who return from the previous committee, and newcomers Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang and Li Xi. Li Qiang is also new to the Standing Committee.
All are seen by analysts to have close allegiance to Xi, 69, the son of a Communist Party revolutionary who has taken China in a more authoritarian direction since rising to power in 2012.
“This is a leadership that will be focused on achieving Xi’s political goals, rather than pursuing their own agendas for what they think is best for the country,” said Drew Thompson, a visiting senior research fellow at the National University of Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.
“There is only one correct way to govern, and that is Xi’s way.”
— With Reuters
