President Xi Jinping has extended his power after the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) passed a “historical resolution”, further elevating his status and comparing him to Mao Zedong.

The statement was only the third of its kind in the 72-year history of the People’s Republic of China – only undisputed leaders Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping had previously achieved the same feat.

A summary of the meeting published by state media praised Xi for his “original new ideas, thoughts, and strategies on national governance”.

And communist officials added to that adulation at a press conference in Beijing on Friday.

“As long as we uphold Comrade Xi Jinping as the core… the giant vessel of Chinese rejuvenation will have a helmsman and will be able to brave any storms,” Jiang Jinquan, the head of the CCP’s policy research office, told reporters.

The meeting was known as the Sixth Plenum and was called to reflect on the CCP’s achievements in the 100 years since it was founded.

There was no discussion of disasters like the Great Leap Forward or the Cultural Revolution, which killed millions of people between them, in the summary.

The “issues of rights and wrongs” like those had already been settled by previous plenums, an official said.

The plenum, held behind closed doors over four days this week and attended by hundreds of top officials, sets the stage for the CCP’s 20th congress, which will take place in the second half of 2022.

There, Xi Jinping is expected to seek – and win – an unprecedented third term as China’s president.

The stilted argot of official party documents doesn’t, as a rule, allow for much gushing.

This summary, though, was as close as you can get, praising Comrade Xi Jinping’s meticulous assessment and deep reflection. His thought on applying Marxism to contemporary China “embodies the best of the Chinese culture and ethos in our times”.

At the accompanying press conference, the gushing came more easily in person. Four officials took turns to sing Xi’s praises, one describing him as an “anchor”.

This looks more and more like one man rule, something China previously tried to consign to the past.

There may have been little here of substance for anyone outside this closed system but effectively it served as a pre-coronation.

The actual event will be next year, when Xi will almost certainly win his third term as president.

That’s unprecedented but as important as it is, it’s not the title where Xi’s power really lies. The more important position, as we saw today, is General Secretary of the CCP. And right now he looks in complete control of the party.

There is a reason that China moved away from the one man rule of Chairman Mao though. Unchecked, it can lead to dreadful mistakes.

An anchor can also drag you down.

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