Senior members of the Communist Party of China (CPC) agreed to "closely unite around the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core," according to a statement issued in Beijing on Thursday followinga key four-day party meeting.

The word "core" was first used by former President Deng Xiaoping to mean leaders who had almost absolute authority. Ex-President Jiang Zemin was also elevated to "core" status during his term from 1989 to 2002.

The state-run "People's Daily" said this was the first time the word "core" was used for Xi, implying that the president's decisions could no longer be challenged. Xi is the head of the Communist Party, the Chinese state and commander of the military.

According to analysts, Xi's elevated status meant he had consolidated support ahead of the party's 19th National Congress next autumn, which will vote for a new leader. Xi is expected to serve another five-year term as the Communist Party's General Secretary.

"This means his position is basically very stable, without a doubt. It also seems that party members support a strengthening of a personality cult around him," Wu Qiang, professor of politics at the Tsinghua University in Beijing told the dpa news agency.

The Communist Party on Thursday also adopted a code of conduct for the 88 million party members in China, aimed at tightening supervision within the group.  Xi has been on a mission to reduce corruption in his country since he took power in 2012, but critics have condemned his anti-corruption drive, saying he used it to destroy his political rivals.

mg/sms (dpa, AP)