China’s Communist Party approves next lot of future leaders

By DPA

Beijing : China’s ruling Communist Party Sunday approved a new Central Committee including the next generation of members that it expects to lead the country from 2012.


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Among the elderly leaders making way for the new guard are China’s top public security official, 72-year-old Luo Gan, and 68-year-old Vice-President Zeng Qinghong, an ally of former party leader Jiang Zemin.

Defence Minister Cao Gangchuan, 71, and Vice-Premier Wu Yi, 68, were other age-related omissions from the 350 members of the new Central Committee.

About 2,200 top provincial and military delegates voted on the Central Committee changes at the end of the party’s five-yearly congress. They also amended the party constitution to incorporate state and party leader Hu Jintao’s trademark platform.

“The scientific outlook on development takes development as its essence, putting people first as its core, and comprehensive, balanced and sustainable development as its basic requirement,” Hu said in his opening speech to the party congress last week.

It requires China to move towards more sustainable growth and create a “harmonious society” by reducing the economic inequalities that have resulted from 25 years of its “development first” strategy.

Hu, 64, must retire from the party leadership at its next congress in 2012 under age and tenure-linked rules.

One of those tipped to replace him is Xi Jinping, 54, who recently became the party leader of Shanghai.

Another favourite is Liaoning provincial party chief Li Keqiang, 52, who is considered a protégé of Hu.

Both men are expected to be inducted this week into the all-powerful nine-member Standing Committee of the party’s Politburo.

The congress delegates represent 73 million party members among China’s 1.3 billion people.

They voted Sunday for the list of Central Committee candidates, the constitutional amendment and Hu’s report card on the party’s work over the past five years, in a largely rubber-stamp process.

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