China's leadership change: Why it matters
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A combination picture shows China's former President Jiang Zemin (L) clapping during his speech at the 16th Chinese Communist Party Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing in a November 8, 2002 file picture, Hu Jintao (C), General Secretary of China's Communist Party, clapping in Beijing, in a November 15, 2002 file picture, and China's Vice President Xi Jinping applauding in Beijing, in a March 15, 2008 file picture. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
(AP) - Next month Chinese President, Mr Hu Jintao and most of the Communist Party leadership will begin to hand over power to younger colleagues in a once-a-decade political transition.
Over the coming months, scores of leaders across the party, the government and the military will be replaced in a painstakingly choreographed and at times divisive change-over at the top of the world's second-largest economy, which is growing in diplomatic and military strength.
Why does the change matter for the world?
China's politics are secretive, so policy-making seems like a black box. It doesn't help that Chinese leaders, unlike Western politicians, tend to be reserved in public, giving them a bland sameness. Still, who runs China matters.
