Xi tightens grip on power as China unveils new leaders | Follow for live updates
ruling China with an iron grip on power, as he revealed a new leadership team stacked with loyal allies.Xi announced six men — Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang and Li Xi — to stand alongside him as
Hu Jintao is assisted at his seat during the closing ceremony of the 20th Party Congress in Beijing on October 22. On his way out, Hu was seen to gesture to Xi and say something to the leader. He then patted Premier Li — an ally and former protege of Hu — on his shoulder. Both Xi and Li appear to have nodded; it was not clear if Xi spoke.
Hu held the role of China’s top leader from 2003 to 2013, presiding over a comparably more open and economically integrated era. Hu oversaw China’s landmark 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and a decade of double-digit economic growth. Twitter is banned in China. To date, Xinhua has not posted the statement on their website or Chinese-language social media.