China’s leader Xi Jinping has moved into a historic third term in power, as he revealed a new leadership team stacked with loyalists.
On Sunday the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) unveiled its Politburo Standing Committee, with Mr Xi re-elected as general secretary.
Observers say the line-up, handpicked by Mr Xi, shows he prizes loyalty over expertise and experience.
The unveiling came after a week-long party congress in the capital.
More than 2,300 delegates elected various leadership groups and gave Mr Xi a new mandate over the party, in a break from decades-long tradition.
No other party leader besides CCP founder Mao Zedong has ever served a third term.
Leaders of China’s allies – Russia’s Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong-un – were among the first to send their congratulations.
On Sunday, a day after the congress closed, Mr Xi strode onto a stage in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People trailed by the six other men of the Politburo Standing Committee.
