China’s leader Xi Jinping cemented his authority on Nov. 11 by directing the ruling Communist Party to pass a historical resolution that sought to place Xi as an equal among the most influential figures in the regime’s history. “Establishing Xi Jinping’s core position to the Central Committee and the entire Party,” as well as the “guiding role” of Xi Jinping ideology, “has decisive significance to pushing the Chinese nation toward a grand rejuvenation,” senior Party officials said at the end of a four-day, closed-door meeting of more than 300 elite Party members in Beijing, according to a readout from the state media. The resolution passed on Thursday was the third of its kind the regime has adopted during its 100-year history, effectively placing Xi alongside two of his most powerful predecessors: Mao Zedong, the communist regime’s first leader, and Deng Xiaoping, who oversaw relaxation of some of the rigid central …