On Sunday, Xi Jinping won a historic third term as China's leader, solidifying his position as the country's most powerful figure in decades and extending his authoritarian rule over the second-largest economy in the world.

Xi's third five-year term became official when he was the first to walk out on stage at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, where the ruling Chinese Communist Party's twice-decade congress concluded on Saturday. Six other members of the new Standing Committee of the Politburo, China's highest leadership body, followed him in descending order of rank.

Xi defies the convention by remaining in office, as the Chinese Constitution was amended in 2018 to remove the two-term limit for the presidency. To prevent a return to a Mao-style cult of personality, the Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping instituted the limit in 1982.

Here are some lessons learned from the weeklong party convention:

Centralized power

The Chinese political system is centered on Xi, 69, who presides over the state, military, and — most importantly — the Chinese Communist Party. Since assuming power in 2012, Xi has strengthened the party's control over the state and society, marginalized political rivals, and suppressed dissent.

Xi, whom the party designated a "core" leader in 2016, placing him on par with Mao and Deng, has surrounded himself with individuals less likely to challenge him or his policies over time.

James Gethyn Evans, communications officer at the Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies at Harvard, stated, "We're beginning to see a weakening of many of the formal and informal rules established by his predecessors in favor of him placing his allies in the top positions."

The trend continued on Sunday with the announcement of the new Politburo Standing Committee. Wang Huning and Zhao Leji were joined by Li Qiang, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang, and Li Xi to form Xi's inner circle.

Li Qiang, who as party secretary of Shanghai last spring oversaw the city's two-month Covid lockdown, came out immediately behind Xi, indicating that he will succeed Premier Li Keqiang as China's No. 2 official.

There is no clear successor among the members of the Standing Committee, who are all men in their 60s, indicating that Xi may be angling for a fourth term.

As the highly orchestrated congress came to a close on Saturday, Xi's tightened control was already evident. Approximately 2,300 delegates unanimously approved work reports as well as amendments to the party charter that could further increase Xi's authority.

They also elected a 205-member Central Committee that is stacked with Xi loyalists and excludes more moderate leaders such as Li Keqiang, the departing premier, and Wang Yang, the former vice premier. Both men were former members of the Politburo Standing Committee, which, along with the Politburo as a whole, is nominally elected from the Central Committee membership.

In an unexpected moment of drama Former President Hu Jintao, who was seated next to Xi on Saturday morning, was escorted out of the hall without explanation shortly after foreign journalists entered. Hu, age 79, placed his hand on Li's shoulder as he was leaving.

Taiwan remains a flashpoint

Beijing claims Taiwan as its territory, but Xi's opening speech to the congress on October 16 did not include any escalation of rhetoric regarding Taiwan. The Chinese leader reaffirmed the objective of peaceful "reunification" but did not rule out the use of force.

Wen-Ti Sung, an expert on U.S.-China-Taiwan relations at the Australian National University who is based in Taipei, said in an email, "Xi has pledged essentially more of the same on Taiwan." "Xi still promises no specific timeline on unification."

However, the Chinese leader emphasized more strongly that "external forces" should stay out of the Taiwan issue.

The contentious August visit of U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to the island has altered Washington's relationship with both China and Taiwan, according to Lev Nachman, an assistant professor at National Chengchi University in Taiwan.

"There has been a change in tone," he said, "and I believe that will keep Taiwan not just in the conversation, but at the forefront."

Though there is always a chance that a Taiwan conflict will be triggered by accident, Nachman believes China is unlikely to make a calculated decision to invade Taiwan shortly due to pressing domestic issues such as the economic slowdown and growing public discontent with Xi's "zero-Covid" policy.

Evans stated that Taiwan is nonetheless a major concern for the Chinese leadership.

"Xi Jinping has repeatedly stated that Taiwan's future lies with China," he said, "and hardliners within the regime will push for a tougher stance on Taiwan over time."

International tensions

Increasing tensions between China and the United States stem in part from the belief, held by several Chinese officials, that the United States, whose international influence is viewed as waning, is attempting to stifle China's rise on the world stage.

China has become more assertive in defending its interests and promoting its values abroad as its power has increased under Xi. Last week, a scuffle broke out during a protest outside the Chinese Consulate in Manchester, England. According to local police, one protester was dragged inside the consulate grounds and "assaulted." (Chinese officials contest the claim.)

Ma Zhaoxu, China's vice foreign minister, stated at a news conference in Beijing on Thursday that his country's diplomacy would "continue to display fighting spirit."

Countries have frequently been caught in the middle at the United Nations and other global bodies as China and the U.S.-led West clash over the erosion of civil liberties in the Chinese territory of Hong Kong, rights abuses in China's Xinjiang region, and Russia's war in Ukraine, as well as economic issues. This month, the United States imposed a ban on the export of advanced computer chips to China, which could have global repercussions.

Evans stated that developing nations will find it increasingly difficult to avoid taking sides.

"It will be either through pressure from the United States or China," he said. "You're either with us or against us."

Where are the women?

In his opening speech to the party congress on October 16, Xi reaffirmed his commitment to gender equality as a fundamental national policy. However, only 11 of the new Central Committee's 205 members are female, and there is not a single woman among Politburo's 24 members. Sun Chunlan, the previous Politburo's sole female member, retired at age 72.

The gender gap permeates multiple tiers of Chinese politics. According to a report by the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, only about one-third of the Chinese Communist Party's 96 million members are female, and only a handful of women have ever served on the Politburo. No woman has ever served on the Standing Committee of the Politburo.

"Politics is traditionally viewed as a male-dominated profession," said Yun Sun, director of the China program at Washington's Stimson Center. "There was only one female empress or female emperor in 5,000 years of Chinese history, and she was considered an anomaly."

According to Rui Zhong, a program associate at the Wilson Center in Washington, China's lack of female representation is a result of women not climbing the political ladder high enough to be considered for top positions. Women who attain the position of vice premier typically receive "softer" responsibilities such as health, education, and sports.

In China, where the government has cracked down on feminist activism and encouraged women to embrace more traditional roles, more women in leadership positions would not necessarily improve the situation for women.

Zhong stated, "Ultimately, everything goes through Xi Jinping."