Xi exudes confidence in debut

China witnessed its long-anticipated leadership transition Thursday as Xi Jinping, the newly elected head of the Communist Party of China (CPC), vowed to take better care of the needs of regular people while addressing "severe challenges," including corruption and bureaucracy.

In the first official appearance of the new lineup, following the week-long 18th CPC National Congress, Xi led Li Keqiang, Zhang Dejiang, Yu Zhengsheng, Liu Yunshan, Wang Qishan, and Zhang Gaoli, all members of the new Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, to meet the press at the Great Hall of the People.

Xi was elected as general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the CPC Central Military Commission.

The latter came as a surprise to political observers who had expected the military transition to take place in several years, as had happened during previous leadership changes.

"Our people have an ardent love for life. They wish to have better education, more stable jobs, more income, greater social security, better medical and health care, improved housing conditions, and a better environment. They want their children to enjoy sound growth, have good jobs and lead more enjoyable lives," Xi said. "To meet their desire for a happy life is our mission."

In the 18-minute speech, punctuated by live translation, the word "people" was mentioned nearly 20 times.

"Our Party faces many severe challenges, and there are also many pressing problems within the Party that need to be resolved, particularly corruption, being divorced from the people, going through formalities and bureaucratism caused by some Party officials," Xi said in his speech.

Although the delayed press conference drew anxiety among some Internet users, the general impression on the blogosphere after the speech appeared to mainly be positive.

Some were impressed by the apparent confidence the new leader demonstrated while others commented that the easy-going tone narrowed the distance between a top leader and the grassroots.

Soccer fans even posted pictures of Xi kicking a ball when he visited Ireland in February, quipping that the long disappointing state of Chinese soccer might soon perk up.

Zhang Xixian, a professor with the Party School of the CPC Central Committee, said the final result of the long-speculated lineup of the new leadership came as no surprise, and that the they gave off an impression of being moderate and ready for action.

"This generation of leaders was sent to the countryside as 'educated youth' during the Mao era, and they know the troubles and needs of grass-roots people," Zhang told the Global Times.

"On the other hand, they are old enough to be familiar with the Party's traditional beliefs, they can inherit the traditions and seek out innovation," he said, adding that Xi's matter-of-fact approach gave the public a lot of confidence.

Huang Weiping, director of the Institute of Contemporary Chinese Politics Research at Shenzhen University, said the leadership reshuffle went ahead smoothly, though it came with a pleasing surprise - namely that the previous leader no longer held onto military power for a few years after handing over the Party leadership.

"It's a great step forward in political civilization," said Huang. "The new Party leader now commands the military, not the other way around. It meets the standards of a modern country that aims at the rule of law."

The handover of the totality of power will allow the new Standing Committee to carry out its work independently and whole-heartedly, Zhang said.

The transition of leadership came after China became the world's second largest economy, while at the same time witnessing growing complaints over the wealth gap, unequal opportunities, corruption and environmental deterioration.

"It's not going to be easy for the new leadership to satisfy its people, as the younger generation grew up after the country started reform and opening-up. Their wider vision and more complex pursuit for a better life will bring greater challenges to the ruling Party," said Huang.

In the meantime, the Party also has to respond to louder calls for political reform.

Huang said the understanding of democracy and political reform varies among different countries.

"Actually, as long as the policies stipulated in the country's Constitution and Party constitution are fully enforced, and as long as the leadership take effective measures to fight against corruption, that will be a huge accomplishment in political reform," Huang said.

The Party has promised to improve people's livelihoods and double incomes by 2020 compared with 2010.