China’s Communist Party reaffirmed President Xi Jinping as its "core," as it published the list of delegates invited to attend next month’s landmark twice-a-decade leadership summit.
The ruling party has selected 2,296 delegates from around the nation to attend the 20th Party Congress, the official Xinhua News Agency reported on Sunday. The announcement of the list brings Xi another step closer to clinching a precedent-defying third term in power at the pivotal event, which begins Oct. 16 in Beijing.
In a Monday editorial, the People’s Daily newspaper urged delegates to closely align behind "comrade Xi Jinping as the core” of the party. "It is firmly believed that under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core and through the concerted efforts of all the delegates, the 20th CPC National Congress will be a congress of unity, victory and endeavor,” the newspaper wrote.