Xi hailed as one of greatest communist leaders by CPC magazine

The ruling Chinese Communist Party (CPC) mouthpiece has hailed President Xi Jinping as one of China's greatest leaders, which observes say is a move to elevate his status on par with Chairman Mao Zedong.
An editorial in the June issue of Qiushi or "Seek Truth" -- a bimonthly magazine of the Communist Party of China (CPC)-- said Xi had put forward "new thinking, new views and new conclusions in a series of important speeches".
The magazine praised Xi's speeches as the "latest theoretical achievement in the development of socialism with Chinese characteristics as well as the development of Marxism and Leninism, and Mao Zedong thought".

His thoughts are now considered to be guidelines for the party and nation, the magazine said.
Xi, 60, took over the leadership last year in the once-in-a-decade-leadership change, quickly emerged as the most powerful leader of the party after Deng Xiaoping, the moderate leader who succeeded Mao in late seventies.
Inheriting the leadership of the Party, Presidency and the Military together, unlike his predecessor Hu Jintao who had to wait for two years to take control of the Army, Xi quickly consolidated his base emerging as the most powerful Chinese leader in recent times.

Zhang Lifan, a Beijing-based political affairs analyst, said the campaign was the latest attempt to promote Xi's status to being on a par with Mao, the founder of the party.

"To suggest that his speeches are the theoretical guidelines for the whole party and country is to promote his status to the same level as Mao's in party history," Zhang, a party historian formerly with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences told the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post.
Li Xigen, an associate professor at the department of media and communication at the City University of Hong Kong, said the editorial might suggest that a new round of an indoctrination campaign was under way to promote socialist values among cadres.
Li said it was also an effort aimed at "promoting Xi's image and influence".

Last week, a collection of 274 quotes from Xi since 2012, compiled by the Party Literature Office, was published.
Analysts said the publication was aimed at officials.
Qiushi said the party was about to start a new round of an ideological indoctrination campaign to study Xi's thinking.