Jintao Re-elected As China’s President

    Hu Jintao was again elected as leader of the world’s most populous country, giving him another five-year term. He is also now the head of the Central Military Comission.

 Xi Jinping was appointed by the National People’s Congress as vice president. Xi is a top Communist Party leader and a son of a revolutionary. He is ranked as no. 6 in the party hierarchy.

 Meanwhile the Congress has approved reshuffling the Cabinet through  establishment of a ministerial level commission and 5 “super ministries”.

 China’s economy has continued to grow rapidlyunder Hu’s term.  Its profile has risen up. This can be proven through Beijing’s hosting of the Olympic Games this August. Xi is in charge  of the preparations of the Olympics.

 Hu and his advisers face stiff challenges in his second term. Food costs have driven the inflation to its highest in twelve years. The snowstorms this winter brought many parts of China to a stop.