Xi Jinping on Thursday replaced Hu Jintao as China’s president, in the culmination of a once-in-a-decade leadership transition that began last year.

The presidency is a largely ceremonial office in China. Last November, Mr Xi was appointed to the two most important leadership roles, general secretary of the Communist party and chairman of the Central Military Commission.

In the four months since his ascension Mr Xi has made a mark on the politics of the country, at least on the surface. He has launched a campaign against corruption that has led officials to refrain from ostentatious displays of wealth, and he has cut back on the banquets, motorcades and excessively formal speeches traditionally associated with China’s top leaders.
In another indication of how Mr Xi is pushing for change, three people told the Financial Times that his wife – the famous folk singer Peng Liyuan – will play a prominent role in his first official foreign trip to boost China’s “soft power”.
But there are no real signs that Mr Xi will promote more fundamental governance reforms. The selection of the new leaders at the NPC this week was put to a vote in name only. All of the appointments were agreed in advance in backroom deals between serving officials, outgoing leaders and retired elder statesmen.Those negotiations produced one small surprise that was seen by some observers as a sign of Mr Xi’s strength. Li Yuanchao, a top official who briefly studied at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and is regarded as a relative liberal within the Chinese system, was named vice-president of China.