China Unveils New Leader

With a revolutionary hero for a father and a pop star for a wife, China’s new leader Xi Jinping has impeccable political pedigree but has given few clues about how he will govern the country.

Xi, 59, walked into the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Thursday as general-secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, the most powerful position in the world’s most populous country and second-biggest economy.

With an air of confidence and a relaxed demeanour rarely seen among China’s top politicians, he gave an unexpectedly long and charismatic speech to the nation.

“Our party is dedicated to serving the people,” Xi said.

“We will never rest on our laurels… our party faces many severe challenges, and there are also many pressing problems within the party that need to be resolved, particularly corruption (and) being divorced from the people.”

But whether Xi has the conviction or political weight needed to force through policy after he is elevated to the position of national president in March is uncertain.

Xi has risen to the top of the secretive party by presenting himself as a compromise candidate, acceptable to outgoing leader Hu Jintao, still-influential former president Jiang Zemin, and other power brokers.But since he has largely kept his policy leanings to himself, how he will address China’s challenges remains unclear — even though he takes over at an uncertain time, with growth slowing as public expectations and scrutiny rise.Xi has avoided revealing any leanings that might threaten his status as a consensus candidate, backing non-controversial policies and positions during his rise up the party ranks, said China political analyst Willy Lam.

“He’s a team player. He played by the rules of the party. He’s not a risk-taker. He doesn’t want to take risks that might jeopardise his career.”

Whatever his beliefs, few expect Xi to stray far from the communist template of gradually opening the economy while maintaining tight political controls, especially as he will need to first consolidate power, a slow process faced by all incoming Chinese leaders.

Nonetheless he is seen as a cautious and skillful politician, able to navigate the factional divides of the party hierarchy.