Xi Jinping granted powers equal to Mao

Xi Jinping has been granted power unmatched in recent decades and a stature on par with that of Chairman Mao, according to The Wall Street Journal. China’s Communist Party ended its weeklong party congress by revising its constitution to inscribe a political theory bearing Xi’s name and endorse policies to make the nation a world power. The revision to the party’s charter to include a broad Xi-branded ideology gives him the final say in policy debates, party insiders said. “The party, government, military, society, education, north, south, east, west—the party leads everything,” the phrasing reads. The elevation of Xi, 64 years old, positions him to impose his will on China’s leadership, global reach and economic might for the next five years—and potentially beyond, by staying in power or through a chosen successor. The move appeared to give Xi unassailable power as he begins a second five-year term.