There is now the real possibility Chinese President Xi Jinping will extend his term as president past 2022 with his elevation to the status of a "core leader" of the Communist Party of China (CPC), an honor that places him among the "gods" of communism such as Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping.

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Xi is also General Secretary of the CPC and Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), which is the military branch of the central government that controls the People's Liberation Army (PLA), the armed forces of the CPC. The task of the PLA is to defend the CPC first and the Chinese state, second.

Since Xi holds the top offices of the party and the military, in addition to being head of state as China's president, Xi is also referred to as China's "Paramount Leader."

Western analysts said Xi will in all likelihood seek a third term as president after the traditional 10 years. Xi can, however, indefinitely remain party leader and from this powerful position control the next president, the CPC and the military.

A somewhat wordy communiqué issued after the 6th plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Committee in Beijing from Oct. 24 to 27 admonished all party members to "closely unite around the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core."

Party members were told to resolutely safeguard the authority of the CPC Central Committee and its central, unified leadership while pushing forward the comprehensive and strict governance of the Party.

The communiqué said the CPC needs to be empowered to successfully purify, perfect, reform and upgrade itself, resist corruption and withstand risks, thus, safeguarding the authority of the CPC Central Committee and the Party's unity, advancement and purity.

It did, oddly, emphasize the importance of collective leadership. The communiqué also called for total subservience to the CPC leadership under Xi, saying the system "must always be followed and should not be violated by any organization or individual under any circumstance or for any reason."

Communist-controlled media believe the communiqué's call to unite behind Xi will give China the impetus to realize its two centenary goals.

The strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Xi as the core is vital to China's targets to build an "all-round moderately prosperous society" for the CPC's centennial in 2021, and for it to become a "modern socialist country" in time for the PRC's centennial in 2049, said Liu Dongchao, a professor with the Chinese Academy of Governance.

That "the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core" was officially put forward at the meeting is "where the fundamental interests of the Party and state lie," said Liu Qibao, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the CPC Central Committee's Publicity Department.

It is also a fundamental guarantee for the adherence to and strengthening of the CPC leadership.

The meeting approved two documents on the discipline of the Party, including the norms of political life within the Party under the new situation and a regulation on intra-Party supervision.

Liu called the two documents "a perfection of the CPC's governance system, which will result in a better intra-Party political life," adding that the communiqué is "an embodiment of the Party's strengthened awareness of its responsibilities."

The CPC has called on all Party members to firmly uphold the authority of the CPC Central Committee.

Addressing the intractable problem of corruption, the communiqué said the CPC vowed to tackle corruption in its promotion system, putting an end to the buying and selling of official posts and vote rigging.

The communiqué said requesting an official post, honor or special treatment is not allowed under any circumstances.

The 19th CPC National Congress, a major event in the political life of the Party and the state, will be held in Beijing in the second half of 2017

Tagschina, Xi Jinping, Communist Party of China, 6th plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Committee, Central Military Commission