Xi Jinping elevated to Mao level by new Communist charter
China’s 19th Communist Party Congress Wednesday enhanced the power of President Xi Jinping in a charter revision that puts him on a level with Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping and enshrines his philosophy. Breaking with tradition, no potential heirs were named, giving Xi virtual leeway to stay in power indefinitely beyond 2022. With the emergence of a new personality cult, his three-hour speech on China’s “new era” was greeted with rapturous applause by party delegates and will be taught in China’s schools.