Beijing:President Xi Jinping has the backing of most Chinese people who see his leadership style in the same mould as ‘Chairman’ Mao Zedong, a poll published by official media here has claimed.

The poll comes amid a key meeting of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) which is underway here to discuss measures to strengthen Xi’s powers.

“Chinese people believe that a strong central leadership is indispensable for the rise of the country, and highly anticipate further confirmation of the role of the core leadership by President Xi Jinping during this period of historic significance,” said the poll released by a magazine affiliated with the CPC’s mouthpiece People’s Daily.

The survey, conducted by the People’s Tribune magazine which recently projected 63-year-old Xi as a strong leader like Mao, interviewed 15,596 people living in cities and rural areas, reported state-run Global Times, another sister publication of People’s Daily.

The main findings were that a strong central leadership as well as a pioneering figure is especially critical for a rising world power, and that as president and general- secretary of the CPC, Xi with full leadership qualities is supported wholeheartedly by a wide range of officials and people, it said.

The “poll” results were published prominently today as the sixth plenum of the CPC consisting of over 370 party officials of various ranks are holding a four-day meet since October 24 to discuss a host of measures to beef up party discipline including modifying the 1981 rule stipulating a 10-year tenure for its top leaders.

Xi, who heads the party, military besides the presidency, was elected in November, 2012 and is set to complete his tenure till 2022.

The poll found that the Chinese people are drawn to the charisma of Xi.

It said that most respondents believe that Xi has leadership qualities, namely “strategic willpower with full confidence”, “bravery to tackle problems head-on” and “intelligence to cure both the symptoms and root causes of problems”.

When asked which trait is essential for the core leadership to give full play in reality, 79.13 per cent of those surveyed said a “leader of integrity and ability”.

In addition, the poll results showed that people from all walks of life highly anticipate the further confirmation of Xi’s role as the core of the leadership, the Global Times report said.

Top cadre of the CPC are expected to endorse two sets of rules on conduct that analysts say should tackle a perceived lack of loyalty among some in the top ranks towards the party leadership, Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported.

The new regulations are expected to be presented at the tightly guarded PLA-run Jingxi Hotel in western Beijing, it said.

In a lengthy front-page commentary on Monday, the party’s flagship mouthpiece People’s Daily argued for unconditional implementation of orders from the leadership, saying the party obeyed late chairman Mao Zedong in wartime despite relying on a telegraph system to communicate over vast distances.

“The ticking (of the telegraph) was the sound of Chairman Mao and the central leadership of the party. All members of the party and the army implemented Mao’s decisions unconditionally,” the commentary said quoting an article from 1981.

“The unity of the party depended on such obedience, the absence of which led to the collapse of the Soviet Union 25 years ago,” it said.

PTI