Hu Jintao Elected Communist Party`s General Secretary

The 16th Communist Party Congress on Nov. 14 elected a new central committee and approved President Jiang Zemin`s "Three Represents" theory, marking the last day of this year`s event.

Vice President Hu Jintao was the only member of the current seven-man leadership to be re-elected to the Politburo Standing Committee which was comprising Premier Zhu Rongji, Parliament chief Li Peng, Discipline Inspection Commission chief Wei Zianxing, internal security chief Li Ruihwan and Vice Premier Li Lanqing.

Chinese communists will hold the first general meeting for a new central committee on Nov. 15 to elect a next-generation leadership lineup, endorsing Hu as general secretary of the communist party.

The retirement of six committee members and the emergence of the fourth-generation leader Hu marked the handover of power from late 20th century leaders who took reign after the 1989 Tiannanmun Square massacre.

At the meeting on the day, attendants elected a new central committee of 356 full members and a new central commission of discipline inspection of 121 full members.

Four key allies to President Jiang, including former Shanghai party chief Huang Ju, Beijing`s former party boss Jia Qinglin and Vice Premier Wu Bangguo, were elected to be new members of the central committee, helping Jiang maintain his influence under Hu`s new leadership.

Meanwhile, the congress agreed to place Jiang`s theory of Three Represents alongside the thinking of communist founder Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping, but apparently without the name Jiang Zemin before the ideology.

yshwang@donga.com