19th Party Congress Concludes with a Seemingly Unstoppable Xi

China’s Party Congress concluded with the reveal of the seven-man Politburo Standing Committee and China’s most powerful leadership body. Notably, it appears that President Xi has not appointed a successor as all the appointed Standing Committee members will be too old, according to governance norms, to rule for the decade after President Xi concludes his second term.
 
President Xi further cemented his power by including his banner ideology, which contains his name, “Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era” to the Constitution. This is the first time the leading ideology of a leader, including his name, has been added to China’s constitution while the leader was still in office since Mao.