Xi Jinping handed unprecedented third term as China’s president

Coronation this week sets up Xi, who has overseen a consolidation of power, to become modern China’s longest-serving head of state

Xi Jinping has been handed an unprecedented third term as president, capping a rise that has seen him become China’s most powerful leader in generations.

The appointment by China’s rubber-stamp parliament comes after he was handed another five years as head of the Chinese Communist party (CCP) and the military – the two more significant leadership positions in Chinese politics – in October.