Xi Jinping vows to tackle corruption

Xi, 59, also took over from Hu as chairman of the party's Central Military Commission on Thursday and was scheduled to succeed him as state president in March.
Hu, 69, had led the party since 2002 and Xi is expected to lead it for the next decade. Xi heads a new seven-member Standing Committee of the party'sall-powerful Politburo, elected by the party's Central Committee earlier Thursday.

 

Accompanied by the other six new leaders, Xi spoke to reporters at Beijing's Great Hall of the People.

Vice Premier Li Keqiang, 57, who was expected to succeed Wen Jiabao as state premier in March, joined Xi on the Standing Committee.

 

The other five top leaders are Zhang Dejiang, Yu Zhengsheng, Liu Yunshan, Wang Qishan, and Zhang Gaoli. Former leaders Hu and Jiang Zemin are expected to continue to exercise power behind the scenes.

 

"Under the new conditions, our party faces many severe challenges,and there are also many pressing problems within the party that need to be resolved," Xi said.

 

His vow to tackle corruption, formalism and bureaucracy followed a series of scandals involving senior officials in recent months.

 

Xi urged party officials to impose "strict discipline ... improve our conduct, and maintain close ties with the people."   He said the new leaders would "rally and lead the whole party andthe people" to improve the lives of China's 1.3 billion people by promoting economic reform and "advancing the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics."
Hu warned at the start of the party's five-yearly congress, which ended on Wednesday, that unchecked corruption could destroy the party.

 

"If we fail to handle this issue well, it could prove fatal to the party, and even cause the collapse of the party and the fall of the state," Hu said in his last major speech as party leader.