Xi Jinping emphasized the leading role of the Communist Party of China

The head of state and party of China emphasized the absolute leading role of the Communist Party. At a rally marking the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party of China in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, Xi Jinping said Thursday, “We must maintain the party’s leadership. China’s success depends on the party.” Without the party, the president said, there would be no “national renewal”.

Xi Jinping meets with the Chinese leadership on the balcony of the Tiananmen Gate above the large portrait of revolutionary Mao Zedong at the entrance to the Forbidden City. The scene was reminiscent of how the “Great Helmsman” announced the founding of the Communist People’s Republic at the same place in 1949. Xi Jinping similarly wore a gray Mao suit with a stand-up collar.

For the grand, carefully organized celebration, 70,000 invited participants gathered in Tiananmen Square in the heart of Beijing. A large military band played revolutionary songs such as “Socialism is Good” or “Without the Communist Party There Will Be No New China,” which were sung by hundreds of singers and crowds in the square.

The participants in their seats, including representatives of the military and Chinese minorities, waved red national flags. “It really is a great day for the nation,” said the commentator on state television. The plaza was surrounded by a hundred red flags.

A formation of helicopters formed the number “100” in the sky and hovered with hanging flags that read, among other things, “Long live the Communist Party.”