China unveiled its new line of next generation leaders in the much-awaited "once in a decade power transfer" process appointing Xi Jinping as the head of the Chinese Communist Party and the Central Military Commission. Taking over the power from Hu Jintao, Xi the mammoth task of getting the country back to its ideal economic growth and of getting rid of the widespread corruption in the Communist country.
The power transfer process is almost complete now as Xi has been given the mandate to rule the world's second largest economy for the next decade as he heads the party and the 2.3 million strong People's Liberation Army. The No.2 in the seven-member collective leadership is Li Keqiang, who is expected to be the country's next premier in March.
The nine-member Politburo Standing Committee was reduced to a five-member team to ensure less contentious and more efficient decision making as the new President promised abolishing unnecessary formalities and bureaucratism.
"Our party faces many severe challenges and there are many pressing problems within the party that need to be resolved, particularly corruption, being divorced from the people, going through formalities and bureaucratism," Xi was quoted in the Financial Time.
The other members of the team include the North Korea-trained economist Zhang Dejiang; the current party chief of Shanghai, Yu Zhengsheng; party's propaganda chief Liu Yunshan; Wang Qishan, known as the chief trouble shooter; and Zhang Gaoli, the party boss of Tianjin city.
In a speech of about 20 minutes, a relaxed looking Xi promised to provide a better life to his 1.3 billion countrymen by offering greater social security, more income, better education, stable jobs, better medical and healthcare, improved housing conditions and a better environment.
