Chinese Communist Party elects new leadership with Xi Jinping at helm

Amongst calls for political change and fresh economic reforms in China, the Chinese Communist party on Thursday elected a new team to lead the country for the next five years.

A panel of seven people walked out on stage on Thursday at the Great Hall of the People to meet the press in the carefully scripted ceremony that Beijing used to introduce its new political leaders to the world.

Xi Jinping led the group, signaling that he holds the top rank and has succeeded Hu Jintao as general secretary of the party. Li Keqiang was third in line, an indication that he will replace Wen Jiabao as premier in March, in another expected decision.

But the rest of the party’s Politburo Standing Committee – the elite group that effectively runs China – represent a more conservative line-up than many had hoped for.

The Standing Committee did not include several men who are viewed as advocates of reform, including Li Yuanchao, head of the Organization Department, which manages personnel issues. Wang Yang, the party secretary of the economic powerhouse of Guangdong province, also did not make the final seven.

Instead, the other five committee members are all politicians who have already served at least one term on the 25-member politburo and will have reached retirement age by the end of Mr Xi’s first term.

Zhang Dejiang, a North Korea-trained economist, ranks second in the new leadership as head of the National People’s Congress, China’s rubber stamp parliament. Yu Zhengsheng, the former party secretary of Shanghai, was picked to lead the Chinese People’s Consultative Conference.

The new leaders had great responsibilities, Xi said, but their mission was to be united, and to lead the party and the people to make the Chinese nation stronger and more powerful.  “The people’s desire for a better life is what we shall fight for,” he added.

Corruption had to be addressed, he said, and better party discipline was needed. “The party faces many severe challenges, and there are also many pressing problems within the party that need to be resolved, particularly corruption, being divorced from the people, going through formalities and bureaucratism caused by some party officials,” Xi said.

But the new leaders would strive to deliver a good performance to live up to the expectations of both history and the people.

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Posted by Web Desk on Nov 15 2012. Filed under World. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.