China's leaders name new premierMarch 15, 2013 - 10:21 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - China's leaders have named Li Keqiang premier, placing him at the helm of the world's second-largest economy, BBC News reported. Li, who already holds the number two spot in the Communist Party, takes over from Wen Jiabao. Li was elected for a five-year term but, like his predecessor, would be expected to spend a decade in office. On Thursday, March 14, Xi Jinping was confirmed by legislators as the new president, completing the transition of power from Hu Jintao. Li Keqiang's widely-signaled elevation was confirmed by 3,000 legislators at the National People's Congress, the annual parliament session, in Beijing. He received 2,940 votes to three, with six abstentions. As premier, he will oversee a large portfolio of domestic affairs, managing economic challenges, environmental woes and China's urbanization drive. The appointments seal the shift from one generation of leaders to the next. A raft of vice-premiers and state councilors will be named on Saturday, before the NPC closes on Sunday. Li, 57, who is seen as close to outgoing leader Hu Jintao, speaks fluent English and has a PhD in economics. He has called for a more streamlined government, eliminating some ministries while boosting the size of others. The son of a local official in Anhui province, he became China's youngest provincial governor when he was tasked to run Henan. But his time there was marked by a scandal involving the spread of HIV through contaminated blood. Li is expected to end the NPC with a press conference on Sunday, given by Wen Jiabao for the past decade. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | About 173 million drams and more than 30 beneficiary funds. "The Power of One Dram" is 4 years old In June 2020, the exclusive joint corporate social responsibility initiative of Idram and IDBank "The Power of One Dram" was launched. CSTO budget “to be adjusted due to Yerevan’s non-payment of contributions” The CSTO budget for the current year requires adjustments due to the refusal of Yerevan to pay their share of contributions. Russia sends note of protest to Armenia over envoy’s trip to Ukraine’s Bucha Russia has sent a note of protest to Armenia over the visit of Vladimir Karapetyan and Tigran Ter-Margaryan to Bucha. Armenia: Protesters march to parliament, some spend the night on street The protesters did not disperse despite heavy rain that began at around 2 a.m. local time. |