Xi asserts power further than expected - expert

China's president secured a precedent-breaking third leadership term on Sunday (October 23) and introduced a top governing body stacked with loyalists, ensuring his place as the country's most powerful ruler since Mao Zedong. At the twice-a-decade leadership reshuffle, Xi cemented his authority beyond what most observers had anticipated, said Emeritus Professor at Hong Kong Baptist University, Jean-Pierre Cabestan on Monday (October 24).