China Unveils New Leaders, With Xi at Head

Posted November 15th, 2012 at 12:00 am (UTC-5)
Leave a comment

China unveiled a new senior leadership lineup on Thursday, with Vice President Xi Jinping emerging as head of the country's Communist Party for the next decade.

The Politburo Standing Committee, China's most powerful decision-making body, walked onto a stage at Beijing's Great Hall of the People on Thursday. Besides Mr. Xi, the leaders include Vice Premier Li Keqiang.

The new leaders are being unveiled at a ceremony in a culmination of a transition process that has been overshadowed by divisions and high-profile corruption scandals.

The son of a respected revolutionary leader, Mr. Xi takes control of the party at a time of major challenges, including slowing economic growth and widening public anger at government corruption. He will replace Hu Jintao as president of the country in March.

Outgoing Chinese President Hu stepped down as Communist Party chief on Wednesday, the final day of a party congress that launched China's once-in-a-decade leadership transition.

The membership of the new Standing Committee reveals the outcome of a secretive process in which China's main power-brokers jockeyed to secure senior positions for themselves and their allies. The two main factions include loyalists of Mr. Hu, who became party chief in 2002, and allies of his predecessor Jiang Zemin, who retains influence in the Chinese leadership.