Hu Jintao Heads Politburo Standing Committee, with Four New Faces Joining in

Hu Jintao (C), Wu Bangguo (4th R), Wen Jiabao (4th L), Jia Qinglin (3rd R), Li Changchun (3rd L), Xi Jinping (2nd R), Li Keqiang (2nd L), He Guoqiang (1st R) and Zhou Yongkang (1st L), who are members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the 17th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), meet the press at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Oct. 22, 2007. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

Hu Jintao remains head of the nine-member Political Bureau Standing Committee of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the Party's top leadership.

Hu, 64, was reelected on Monday as a member of the nine-member Political Bureau Standing Committee at the first plenary session of the 17th CPC Central Committee.

He succeeded Jiang Zemin as Party leader at the 16th CPC National Congress in November 2002.

Hu was elected a member of the Political Bureau Standing Committee of the CPC Central Committee in 1992, at the age of 49.

Four other members of the Political Bureau Standing Committee of the 16th CPC Central Committee, Wu Bangguo, Wen Jiabao, Jia Qinglin and Li Changchun, were reelected into the top echelon on Monday.

Wu, 66, has been chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress since 2003.

Wen, 65, serves as Chinese Premier.

Jia, 67, is chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

Li, 63, is in charge of CPC's publicity and ideological work.

The newly elected Political Bureau Standing Committee also consists of four new members-- Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, He Guoqiang and Zhou Yongkang.

Xi, 54, and Li, 52, serve as Party chiefs in Shanghai and Liaoning respectively.

Xi was a member of the 16th CPC Central Committee and alternate member of the 15th CPC Central Committee.

Li was a member of the 16th and 15th CPC central committees.

He Guoqiang, 63, is head of the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee.

Zhou, 64, is minister of public security.

Both He and Zhou were members of the Political Bureau of the 16th CPC Central Committee since 2002.

Three members of the Political Bureau Standing Committee of the16th CPC Central Committee, 68-year-old Zeng Qinghong, 69-year-old Wu Guanzheng and 72-year-old Luo Gan, are not in the new CPC central committee elected on October 22, 2007.

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