By NNN-Bernama
Beijing : Chinese President Hu Jintao unveiled on Monday the new leadership of China’s ruling communists with the limelight on the two comparatively younger provincial party chiefs in the powerful nine-man political bureau standing committee.
Shanghai party chief, Xi Jinping, and his northeastern Liaoning counterpart, Li Keqiang, both born post-modern China, were thrusted into the limelight as potential successors to Hu who continues into his second term in office after the party’s 17th congress closed Sunday.
Hu drew attention to the duo when he presented his new team to the media after the first plenary meeting of the new central committee but took no questions.
“Comrades Xi Jinping and Li Keqiang are rather younger at ages of 54 and 52 respectively,” he said.
Xi and Li, the latter said to be a favourite of the 65-year-old Hu, were not members of the political bureau before.
Describing the congress as a resounding success, Hu pledged to press ahead with reforms and opening up using scientific development to forge comprehensive and sustainable progress for the world’s most populous and fastest growing economy.
“We’ll be firmly committed to development, which is the party’s top priority in governing and rejuvenating the country,” he said.
Hu’s mantra of scientific development was enshrined in the party’s constitution after it was unanimously approved by the more than 2,200 congress delegates who had also elected the 204 members of the new central committee from which the politburo was drawn.
Hu remains as party general-secretary and the head of the central military commission but shed no light on who will be appointed to fill imminent vacancies in the government following the exit of several old guards from the central committee.
Incumbent vice-president Zhen Qinghong, Luo Gan and Wu Guangzheng, all three from the previous politburo standing committee, were not selected this time.
Also out were vice-premiers, “Iron Lady” Wu Yi and Zeng Peiyan. A third vice-premier, Huangju, who was also in the politburo standing committee died in June this year.
Holding their seats in the standing committee were top legislator Wu Bangguo, Premier Wen Jiabao, party top political adviser Jia Qinglin and propaganda chief Li Changchun.
All are well into their 60s. So are two others, public security minister Zhou Yongkang, 65, and minister of central organisation department, He Guoqiang, 64, who joined Xi and Li as the four new faces in the standing committee.
The 25-member political bureau included for the first time Commerce Minister Bo Xilai and the party’s United Front Work Department head, Liu Yandong, the sole woman in the bureau like Wu Yi before.