The new Politburo Standing Committee
BEIJING: China’s ruling Communist Party unveiled its core decision-making body, the Politburo Standing Committee, headed by President Xi Jinping.
Here is the list of the new committee, all men, by order of seniority: > Xi Jinping, 64, is widely seen as China’s most powerful leader since Chairman Mao Zedong. He was once viewed as a drab princeling child of the elite. But since soaring to power in 2012, Xi has centralised authority under his own leadership with a signature anti-graft battle. His political theory – “Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era” – was written into the Party constitution on Tuesday.
> Li Keqiang, 62, as premier has overseen China’s economy for the last five years. Li’s policies have sought to spur entrepreneurship and innovation, but he has been increasingly overshadowed by Xi, who has thrown his weight behind reforms to make state sector firms “stronger, better and bigger” and to manage financial stability.
> Li Zhanshu, 67, heads the party’s General Office. He worked his way up from Hebei province, which surrounds Beijing, and graduated from Hebei Normal University. A former governor of Heilongjiang province and one-time party boss of Guizhou province, Li is considered one of Xi’s closest advisers and often accompanies him on overseas trips.
> Wang Yang, 62, is a vice-premier with an economic portfolio and a former party chief of Guangdong province, an export powerhouse, where he served from 2007-2012. Born in Anhui province, Wang went to work in a factory at age 17 to support his family after his father died.
Concerned about the impact of three decades of rapid development, he lobbied for social and political reform. However, he backed down after drawing criticism from party conservatives.
> Wang Huning, 62 this month, was a top policy researcher for the party under former presidents Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao, a position he has kept under Xi as head of the Central Policy Research Office. Wang coined the “Three Represents” and “Scientific Outlook of Development” – respectively Jiang and Hu’s contributions to party thought, as well as the “Chinese Dream”, Xi’s own vision. Wang was formerly an academic at Shanghai’s Fudan University, specialising first in international relations and then law. He is also considered one of Xi’s closest advisers.
> Zhao Leji, 60, was also named the Chinese Communist Party’s new anti-corruption chief yesterday. He was named vice-governor of Qinghai province in 1994 at age 37. Zhao spent 29 years in Qinghai before being picked by Xi to serve as party boss of Shaanxi province in 2007. Both Zhao and Xi are natives of Shaanxi. Zhao heads the powerful organisation department, which oversees personnel decisions, and is a Politburo member.
> Han Zheng, 63, is party chief of Shanghai, China’s financial hub, where he has spent his entire career. Han was briefly promoted from Shanghai mayor after the then party boss was sacked amid a corruption scandal in 2006. He resumed his mayoral role as Xi and then Yu Zhengsheng – currently the party’s fourth-ranked leader – became party chief. Han became Shanghai party boss in 2012. — Reuters