CHINA’S LEADERS

CHINA'S LEADERSHIP TRANSITION PROCESS BEGINS THIS WEEK

IANS

DNA, November 6, 2012

The world's most populous and one of the most economically powerful nations, which is also one of the world's most secretive countries, will see the beginning of a crucial leadership transition during the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in Beijing on Thursday.

The new leader of the world's second largest economy that is increasingly influencing the global discourse and was one of the few countries that figured repeatedly in the bitterly fought US election campaign will be, in all likelihood, Vice President Xi Jinping, who will succeed President Hu Jintao as general secretary of the all-powerful Communist Party after being elected to the new Central Committee which will in turn "elect" the new Politburo.

Li Keqiang is likley to be the premier in the next leadership, succeeding Wen Jiabao, according to reports, though there has been no official communication so far. It is also not clear if Xi will also head the all-powerful Central Military Commission, replacing Hu as China's commander-in-chief. Xi will be elected as the country's next president in March next year by the National People's Congress, China's rubber-stamp parliament. He is likely to remain as such for the next ten years before the next big leadership change.

The Communist Party is the sole party in power in China and has nearly 70 million members in more than three million grassroots organisations.The CPC has established formal and informal organizations within the Chinese government and various levels and walks of life in the country, according to people.com.cn.

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