Xi elected as China's new leader

China's the Communist Party on Thursday elected Vice President Xi Jinping as general secretary to complete its once-in-a-decade leadership transition, state-run Xinhua News Agency reported. The 59-year-old Xi, who replaced President Hu Jintao as head of the party, led the other newly-elected members of the Standing Committee of the party's Political Bureau to meet the press. Xi is expected to serve as China's top leader in the next 10 years. Other six members of the newly elected Standing Committee of the party's Political Bureau include Vice Premier Li Keqiang, who succeeded Premier Wen Jiabao. "On behalf of the members of the newly elected central leadership, I wish to express our heartfelt thanks to all other members of the Party for the great trust they have placed in us. We will strive to be worthy of their trust and fulfill our mission," Xi told media. "We are greatly encouraged by both the trust all the comrades of the Party have placed in us and the great expectation the people of all ethnic groups in China have of us, and we are keenly aware that this is also an important responsibility for us," he said. Xi was also named chairman of the party's Central Military Commission, the country's top military post.