China's Hu Jintao takes over

China's new leadership is heavily stacked with allies of Jiang Zemin

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SPECIAL REPORT • Factfile: NPC key agenda • Profile: China's top nine leaders • Gallery: China's new leadership • Video: The rise of Hu Jintao • Profile: Who is Hu Jintao? • Profile: Jiang Zemin's legacy • Special report: New leaders 'THE THREE REPRESENTS' Theory first raised by President Jiang Zemin in early 2000. Communist party must: 1 - Represent most advanced productive forces, including private business. 2 - Represent the most advanced culture. 3 - Represent fundamental interests of the broad masses (i.e. not merely a "revolutionary party" but one that stands for all Chinese.)

BEIJING, China -- China's Hu Jintao has taken over the helm of China's Communist Party.

Hu (59) heads a so-called 'Fourth Generation' nine-member leadership body stacked with close allies of his predecessor Jiang Zemin.

China unveiled the new members of the powerful Politburo Standing Committee, the country's supreme ruling council, on Friday.

Six Jiang allies were named to the Standing Committee in a clear sign the man who headed the party in the world's most populous nation for 13 years plans to pull the strings in retirement. (Jiang power behind throne)

The changes -- the biggest leadership shuffle in a decade -- confirmed long-standing speculation and come after President Jiang and five other senior leaders stepped down from their Communist Party posts.

Prime Minister Zhu Rongji and party number two, veteran hardliner Li Peng, have also given up their positions.

In a carefully regimented transfer of power, the new, so-called 'fourth generation' of Chinese leaders consists of: Vice-President Hu Jintao, Vice-Premiers Wu Bangguo and Wen Jiabao, Jia Qinglin, Zeng Qinghong, Huang Ju, Wu Guanzheng, Li Changchun and Luo Gan. (Profiles | Gallery)

The changes, made after the conclusion of China's 16th Communist Party Congress, have also allowed for the addition of Jiang's so-called "Three Represents" theory into the party's constitution.

The move is being seen as a formalization of Jiang's legacy as leader, incorporating once unthinkable capitalist ideology into a party seeking to make itself relevant to the needs of a fast growing country.

Jiang army role

Hu pledged on Friday to push ahead with economic reforms but gave no specifics on how he would tackle a plethora of problems, ranging from joblessness to an ailing banking system.

"The whole party and people from all ethnic groups will unite more closely and concentrate on construction and development so as to continue pushing forward China's reform, opening up and modernisation drive,"

Xinhua, China's state media outlet, also reported that Jiang would remain head of the Communist Party's Central Military Commission, which commands the army.

Xinhua did not say how long Jiang would stay on as head of the body. Jiang's predecessor Deng Xiaoping remained CMC chairman for two years after leaving the party's Politburo Standing Committee in 1987.

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