China's parliament today appointed Xi Jinping as the nation's new president.
The
new leader will face a public increasingly seeking change in a time when calls are
mounting for a bold approach to tackle faltering economic growth, unbridled corruption
and a severely befouled environment that endanger his Communist Party's legitimacy.
Xi
was elevated to the presidency by the rubber-stamp national legislature, giving him
the last of the three titles held by his predecessor, Hu Jintao.
The final
steps in the transition unfold over the next two days with the expected anointing
of Li Keqiang, the party's No. 2, as premier on Friday
Listen to this
report by regional correspondent Alastair Wanklyn…
There was
near unanimous approval from the almost 3000 delegates attending China's National
People's Congress appointing Xi Jinping as president. He is already head of the China
Communist Party and the nation's military.
On the streets of Chinese cities
there are increasing demands for leadership on corruption and on a governing class
that's become rich in a nominally socialist system.
President Xi will also
face the challenges of faltering economic growth and environmental damage, highlighted
this week by the discovery of around 6,000 dead pigs dumped in a river that much of
Shanghai gets its drinking water from.
China's leader has gained recognition
already for urging austerity by public officials in their festivities, after revelations
of expense-account abuses.
But analysts say he'll need to tread a fine line
between tackling wealthy senior officials and making enemies of them.
Meanwhile,
the parliament approved some restructuring of China's ministries. Among the changes,
the agency that promotes abortion and sterilisation in pursuit of China's one-child
policy will now merge with the health ministry.