China's ruling Communist Party on Monday unveils a new leadership line-up to steer the world's fourth-biggest economy for the next five years, with President Hu Jintao likely to promote younger potential successors.
The new membership of the Politburo Standing Committee -- the innermost ring of power in China's authoritarian government -- will emerge after a closely controlled vote by the party's 204-member Central Committee, installed at the end of its five-yearly Congress on Sunday.
It is already known that three members of the outgoing Standing Committee will step down. Among them are Vice-President Zeng Qinghong, a powerful figure installed by Hu's predecessor Jiang Zemin.
Their departure indicates that Hu, who doubles as party and military chief, will be able to promote potential successors into the leadership core. Hu will retain his seat in the Standing Committee along with Premier Wen Jiabao and parliament chief Wu Bangguo.
There's a fourth vacancy after the death of vice-premier Huang Ju in June.
But intense secrecy has surrounded who and how many officials will be recruited into the politburo -- an elite council of 20-odd members -- and the all-powerful Standing Committee. ( Reuters )