As he began his unprecedented 3rd five-year term as President and head of the military, Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday called for upholding the leadership of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) headed by him. Speaking at the closure of the annual session of the Chinese legislature, the National People’s Congress (NPC), Xi stressed upholding the leadership of the CPC and the centralised, unified leadership of the CPC Central Committee, the main policy body of the party.