Chinese leaders issue official history to elevate President Xi Jinping

Portraits of China’s former top leaders Mao Zedong, left to right, Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin, Hu Jintao and President Xi Jinping at a military camp in Beijing (Ng Han Guan/AP)

Leaders of the ruling Communist Party in China have set the stage for President Xi Jinping to extend his rule next year, praising his role in the country’s rise as an economic and strategic power and approving a political history that gives him status alongside the most important party figures.

Central Committee members declared Mr Xi’s ideology the “essence of Chinese culture” as they wrapped up a leadership meeting.