Senior officials on Thursday approved a resolution on the party's "major achievements and historic experiences" since its founding 100 years ago, placing Xi on the same pedestal as the nation's founding father Mao Zedong and reformist leader Deng Xiaoping, who unleashed an economic boom that turned China into the world's second-largest economy.
And with this elevated stature and undisputed rule within the authoritarian, one-party state now established, Xi is preparing to sit down with United States President Joe Biden in a virtual meeting Monday -- the first between the two leaders since Biden entered the White House in January.
By consolidating his position at home and attempting to build bridges with Biden, Xi is hoping to smooth a path to next year's 20th Party Congress, during which he is expected to claim a third term -- extending his time in office by at least another five years. The scheduled talks with Biden come amid intensifying competition and heightened tensions between the two superpowers across a number of fronts, as well as China's deteriorating relations with much of the developed world and a growing list of its neighbors.
