President Hu Jintao stepped aside as ruling party leader yesterday to clear the way for Vice President Xi Jinping to take China’s helm as part of only the second orderly transfer of power in 63 years of Communist rule.
In a possible break from tradition, Jintao may also be giving up his post as head of the commission that oversees the military, which would give Xi greater leeway to consolidate his authority when he takes over. A top general indicated Jintao would not stay on in the military post.
Jintao and other senior leaders mostly in their late 60s are handing over power to leader-in-waiting Jinping and other colleagues in their late 50s over the next several months. The new leadership faces daunting challenges including slowing growth in the world’s No. 2 economy, rising unrest among increasingly assertive citizens and delicate relations with neighboring countries.
In keeping with the widely anticipated succession plans, Jintao was not re-elected a member of the party’s Central Committee on the final day of a pivotal party congress, showing that he’s no longer in the political leadership.
Delegates said they cheered when the announced results of secret balloting showed that Xi had been unanimously chosen for the committee, a step toward being named to the topmost panel, the Politburo Standing Committee, and becoming party leader as expected on Thursday. Li Keqiang, designated as the next premier, also was elected to the Central Committee of 205 full members.
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