Beijing: The emerging Chinese leadership, which is expected to take over the reins of the country in 2013 has started taking centre stage, handling high profile events under national and international media glare.
The top three leaders, Vice President, Xi Jinping, Vice Premier, Li Keqiang and Zhou Yongkang, Politburo Standing Committee member of CPC Central Committee took part in different major events getting hands on experience on
leadership training this week.
Hu Jintao along with Premier Wen Jiabao are expected to retire after the party congress in December next year and the new President and Prime Minister besides other members of the nine member politburo is expected to take over power from the beginning of 2013.
Xi, regarded as successor to President Hu Jintao after next year`s party congress played host to the high profile visit of US Vice President, Joseph Biden, providing a glimpse of his persona to the US leader as well as large team of officials travelling with him.
Xi not only held talks with the Biden on a wide range of issues yesterday but also set to travel with the US leader on his visits outside Beijing during, which he was expected to interact closely with Biden, specially his vision of China as he was expected to be the main leader of the Communist Party in the next decade.
US officials accompanying Biden appeared impressed with Xi. "He (XI) is what was notable, he did not refer to notes. He had a very clear idea of what he wanted to convey, very strategic in his approach, quite confident in his
interaction with his colleagues", one US officials told a media briefing.
"I saw no sense of tentativeness, very confident, very assured, but also clearly approaching the meeting with our Vice President with a desire to build a stronger personal bond, a key link in communication with the United States over the course of the next several months" another official said.
While Xi took the centre stage with Biden, his colleague, Vice Premier Li made a high profile visit to Hong Kong, setting off speculation that he may get the green light to succeed, very popular Premier, Wen Jiabao, who has recently not keeping good health.
His succession was in doubt earlier as reports said another Vice Premier, Wang Qishan, who was deputed to hold strategic dialogue with US this year.
Li, who arrived in Hong Kong under the glare of national and international media held talks with the leaders to firming up political and economic issues as it holds
special autonomous status vis a vis the mainland China getting the front page coverage in the Chinese media.
Besides delivering a keynote speech at a forum focusing on the 12th Five-Year Program and financial and trade cooperation between mainland and Hong Kong, he witnessed signing ceremony of economic cooperation projects and attended
ceremony on issuance of treasury bonds.
For his part Zhou Yongkang, who figured last in the nine member politburo of the CPC headed by Hu, went on a well publicised visit to Nepal, where he tried to firm up China`s growing influence in the Himalayan kingdom wooing the Nepalese leaders with a host of new projects, which raised eyebrows in
India.
Zho, who is the State Councillor besides being the deputy secretary of the Political and Legislative Affairs Committee of the CPC Central Committee and minister and Party secretary of the Ministry of Public Security visited India
last year ahead of Prime Minister, Wen Jiabao and held talks with leaders of the ruling and opposition parties.
It was after his visit, China took a re-look over issuing stapled visas to residents of Jammu and Kashmir and subsequently started issuing regular visas after protests from India.
He too was expected to be elevated to top position in the politburo.
PTI
