News Analysis Mao Zedong led China to “stand up” against foreign threats, Deng Xiaoping made China rich, and Xi Jinping will lead China to become the preeminent world power, or so says the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). And to make China strong, obviously, Xi needs a third term, to help the nation capitalize on opportunities that he has identified. This is the narrative Xi is pushing to the Central Committee and to the people. And if he succeeds in securing their support, he hopes to elevate himself to the level of Mao and Deng. The sixth plenum, the four-day, closed-door meeting of the 300-member Central Committee of the CCP, is taking place in Beijing this week. China operates on five-year political cycles, defined by a five-year plan. Normally, a Chinese leader has a 10-year term. The incoming leader inherits a five-year plan, already in progress. For Xi, this was the 12th …