The power of one: China's Xi secures third term

STORY: The confirmation of Chinese president Xi Jinping to an unprecedented third term -- after the Communist Party's week-long congress ended on the weekend -- shows how he has cemented his place as the country's most powerful ruler since Mao Zedong.

And the country's top governing body, the Politburo Standing Committee, is stacked with loyalists to him... with no clear successor.

“We must be highly vigilant and always maintain a top level of clarity and prudence, and continually push for strict and comprehensive Party governance, so that the century-old Party will continue to flourish in its self-revolution, and always be the strongest and most reliable backbone of the Chinese people.”

For example: Shanghai's Communist Party chief Li Qiang followed Xi onto the stage, which means he is likely to become China's premier when the incumbent retires in March.

Li Qiang was the focus of public anger -- which made it past China's censors -- over Shanghai's COVID lockdowns. But he has a long history with the president.

The man he would replace, Li Keqiang, is seen as a moderate and has also been excluded from the wider Central Committee -- one of several absences.

There was also this unusual incident on Saturday, where President Xi's predecessor, Hu Jintao, was unexpectedly escorted off the stage.

He appeared to resist as he was led away. Video of the incident was widely shared on Twitter but could not be found on China's heavily censored social media platforms.

State media coverage of the ceremony also did not include the scene, but later reported that he was feeling unwell.

The new Politburo has no women in it. There was only one, and she retired. The youngest man on the Standing Committee is 60 years old.

The committee memberships further confirm that Xi's grip on power is unharmed by the events of a rocky few years - from a sharp economic slowdown, and frustration over his zero-COVID policy, to China's growing estrangement from the West, which has been worsened by Xi’s support for Russia's Vladimir Putin.