How did Xi Jinping rise to power?

Xi Jinping, president of China and general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party since 2012, is one of the most powerful political figures in the world. By initiating an unprecedented third term as China's leader in October 2022, Xi has signaled that he may plan to remain in power for life — making him the first Chinese leader since Mao Zedong to hold unchecked power over the People's Republic of China. But Xi's connection to Mao goes deeper than a shared outlook that emphasizes unifying the party around a single leader. When Xi was just a young boy, his family…