Xi Jinping to head both Party and military

Xi Jinping, the 59-year-old “princeling” son of a former Politburo member, was on Thursday pronounced the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the head of the party’s Central Military Commission, marking an end to a once-in-a-decade leadership transition process.

Mr. Xi and six other leaders, to constitute the Party’s highest body — the Politburo Standing Committee (PBSC) — were presented as the faces of the next generation of leaders, as outgoing leader Hu Jintao relinquished his posts as Head of the CPC and Chairman of the military.

The Party has reduced the size of its elite inner circle from nine to seven, underscoring long-discussed moves, analysts said, to make the top body more efficient and nimble, and less riven by competing factional interests seen as stalling reform moves.

Mr. Xi was flanked by second-ranked Li Keqiang (57), who will take over as Premier when Wen Jiabao steps down at the March Parliament session.

The other members, in order of rank, were announced as: Zhang Dejiang (66), Chongqing Party Secretary; Yu Zhengsheng (67), Shanghai Party Secretary; Liu Yunshan (65), a senior propaganda official; Wang Qishan (64), a Vice Premier in charge of economic affairs and Zhang Gaoli (66), Party Secretary in Tianjin.