The first major test of Mr Hu Jintao's leadership came in the spring of 2003, when an outbreak of the deadly Sars overwhelmed China's weak public health system. Mr Hu and Premier Wen Jiabao seized the chance to prove their leadership by sacking senior officials behind the initial cover-up and dealing decisively with the epidemic.

Mr Hu's domestic agenda of promoting sustainable development and social equity is seen as a clear breakaway from his predecessor Jiang Zemin's legacy of encouraging all-out economic growth. This new agenda was formally codified under the slogan of 'scientific view of development' at a major Chinese Communist Party meeting in September 2004.

Soon after appeasing the hawkish camp with the passage of the Anti-Secession Law in March 2005, Mr Hu held a historic meeting with Taiwan's opposition Kuomintang chairman Lien Chan as part of a charm offensive to win hearts and minds on the island.

Mr Hu began a bold move to weaken Mr Jiang's power base by sacking Shanghai party boss Chen Liangyu in September last year on graft charges. Several other top Shanghai officials were also removed.

Mr Hu's grip on power was further strengthened following the death of China's sixth-ranked leader Huang Ju in June this year.

Mr Hu took a calculated gamble on Mr Shinzo Abe, who succeeded Mr Junichiro Koizumi as Japanese Prime Minister, by inviting him to visit Beijing in October 2006.

Frayed bilateral ties turned a corner after Mr Abe's 'ice-breaking' visit, with many analysts hailing Mr Hu for the decisive move.

SIM CHI YIN