Xi Jinping hands out medals amid Communist Party centenary celebrations
The HinduAmid celebrations over the centenary of the ruling Communist Party, Chinese President Xi Jinping has awarded loyal party members with medals and called for adherence to Marxism. President Xi’s speech at a ceremony Tuesday follows a lavish celebration at Beijing’s Olympic stadium on Monday night emphasising China’s rise to economic and political prominence following reforms enacted more than 40 years ago. Over his nine years as party head, Mr. Xi has established himself as China’s most powerful ruler since Mao Zedong, who founded the People’s Republic in 1949 after defeating Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalists amid civil war. In his speech, President Xi said party members should lead the drive for China’s “great rejuvenation,” a reference to his agenda for China to retake its centuries-old role as a regional and international power in culture, economics and military power.