Vice President Jinping Xi of China
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Xi was named to the party's powerful nine-member Politburo Standing Committee at a key five-yearly meeting last month and is seen as the main candidate to take over for President Hu Jintao when he retires in 2012.
Xi has replaced Zeng Qinghong in the CCPs inner circle.
This also makes Jiang Zemin believe that Xi has some respect for him and will not completely turn around and prosecute Jiang for his crimes.
Xi is said to have worked for Geng Biao, but that isn't possible during the period cited (from 1979 to 1982 he worked for his father's former subordinate Geng Biao in the General Office of the Central Military Commission (as an officer in active service) gained some military background.
Xi is said to be a protege of Hu Jintao, yet Hu is also mentoring Xi's only serious rival for the top job, Li Keqiang.
In Zhejiang, Xi is also best remembered for arranging the timely evacuation of about 1 million people within just three days ahead of the landing of Typhoon Saomai in August 2006 -- the strongest typhoon that hit China in more than half a century, reducing casualties and property losses to the minimum.
AFFECTIONS FOR COMMON FOLK Do more practical things for the common folk is the goal Xi has pursued all along, sources close to him said.
In addition to his affections for the common folk, Xi is well known for amicability.
They later recalled that Xi is almost the same as what he was more than two decades ago -- still so amiable and easy going.
Xi was married to Peng Liyuan, a renowned folk song singer in China, in 1987.
Xi joined the Communist Youth League in 1971 and the Communist Party of China in 1974.
The younger Xi has won his spurs as the governor of Fujian, since 2000, where he made efforts to attract investment from Taiwan and to boost free market economy.
Xi was in turn made an alternate member of the 15th CPC Central Committee and holds the membership of the 16th CPC Central Committee, signaling his involvement nationally.
After the dismissal of Chen Liangyu in September 2006 due to a social security fund scandal, Xi was "airlifted" into the city as the next Party Chief of Shanghai in March 2007.
During his regional tenures Xi was never implicated in any serious scandals, nor did he face serious political opposition.
Interestingly, Xi was ranked above Li Keqiang, which made him the most likely candidate for China's next core figure - the paramount leader.
This assessment was further supported at the 11th National People's Congress, Xi was elected as Vice-President on March 15, 2008.
Some suggest this was because Xi had kept friendly relations with both Hu Jintao and the other power figure in the central leadership, Zeng Qinghong.
Xi is considered to be the most successful of "princelings" of Chinese revolutionaries.
Xi married famous Chinese folk singer Peng Liyuan (彭丽媛) in 1987.
Outgoing Chinese Vice-President Zeng Qinghong (R) shakes hands with his successor Xi Jinping after Xi was elected vice-president of China during the fifth plenary meeting of the NPC session in Beijing, capital of China, March 15, 2008.
Before coming to Zhongnanhai, the compound of the country's top leaders in downtown Beijing, in October last year, Xi had just reshaped the image of China's financial center of Shanghai as secretary of the city's Party Committee.
Xi says officials must put themselves in the shoes of the people to know what they are really thinking and win their confidence and support.
Yet most remarkable about Xi is his public declaration of tolerance for free speech and political dissension.
In the same style in which those articles were written, Xi’s witty and incisive impromptu remarks is all the more reason to believe Xi is Zhexin.
A step further, Xi has even put his words into action by setting up three “protest parks” in Beijing for demonstrators to voice their dissent during the Olympics.
Addressing the 18th Asian Corporate Conference in Tianjin, Vice President Xi said that the 8.
Xi said China values the relations with Burundi, and would work with the country to enhance the development of bilateral ties.
As for the Beijing Olympic Games, Xi expressed appreciation of Burundi’s support to the Games.
premier and army veteran Xi Zhongxun.
Vice President Xi met extensively with state leaders of the five nations and the people from different circles.
Xi expressed the will of China to enhance friendly ties with the five nations and the wish of China to advance the cooperation in such areas as politics, economy, culture and education.
During his trip to DPRK, Xi said China hopes to make joint efforts with DPRK to carry forward the traditional friendship established and fostered by the leaders of elder generations.
During the trip to Qatar, Xi said China will consider having political and economic dialogues with Qatar.
Vice President Xi had an in-depth exchange of views with the leaders of the five countries on further consolidating cooperation and exchange in all fronts, reached new and important consensus on many issues, and signed a number of cooperation documents involving agriculture, economy, trade, energy, resources, infrastructure development, culture, education and tourism.
Xi said the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games have both come to a conclusion and China has honored its solemn commitment of delivering a high-standard Olympic Games with distinctive features and presenting two Games of equal splendor.
Xi was chosen in October to the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau, the Communist Party's most powerful decision-making body, displacing the last ally of former President Jiang Zemin.
Xi is a so-called princeling, the son of former Chinese vice premier and army veteran Xi Zhongxun.
Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, who met Xi when Xi was party chief of Zhejiang province, near Shanghai, described the Chinese official as the kind of guy who knows how to get things over the goal line.
What is clear is that Xi is popular within the party.
During the Cultural Revolution in 1968, the 15-year-old Xi was sent to the countryside for a stint of manual labor.
This manner has won Xi plaudits from no less a figure than Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew, who declared on a recent visit that Xi was "a thoughtful man who has gone through many trials and tribulations.
Vice President Xi expressed to the countries' leaders the willingness to enhance friendship and actively push forward exchanges and cooperation between China and the countries in such fields as politics, economy, culture and education, he said.
Delivering a keynote speech at a welcoming banquet at the Macau SAR Government Headquarters, Xi said the purpose of his visit to Macau is to inspire local people to tide over the current global financial crisis.
Xi said that to achieve an all-round, coordinated and sustainable economic growth, Macau should take a path of diversified development appropriately.
Xi said Macau has achieved economic development and improvement of the livelihood and social stability under the leadership of Macau SAR Chief Executive Edmund Ho Hau Wah and the SAR government since its return to the motherland.
Mr Xi has also been appointed leader of the celebrations being planned for the 30th anniversary, at the end of the year following the Olympics, of the party meeting where Deng Xiaoping launched Chinas hugely successful economic reform period.
To provide him with the status commensurate with such new roles, Mr Xi is likely to be appointed Vice President at the annual meeting, that starts on March 5, of Chinas parliament, the National Peoples congress.
Xi was born in Fuping, Shaanxi, in 1953, the son of People's Liberation Army veteran and reformist vice premier Xi Zhongxun.
In 1969, Xi was sent to work in an agricultural commune in Yanchuan County, Shaanxi.
In September 1975, Xi was admitted to Qinghua University in Beijing to study chemical engineering.
Xi is married to renowned opera singer Peng Liyuan.
The younger Xi is known for instituting pro-business policies while serving as party boss in prosperous Zhejiang province.
In 2005, while Xi was serving as party boss, Zhejiang province was rocked by a string of what are referred to in official parlance as “mass incidents.