Xi officially becomes China's president

Xi Jinping formally became China’s president on Thursday, fully succeeding Hu Jintao and ending a five-month handover of power, South China Morning Post reported. The vote at the National People’s Congress was nearly unanimous in support of Xi with only one vote opposing and three abstentions. Li Yuanchao, a member of 25-member Politburo, became the country’s vice president while Zhang Dejiang, a member of the supreme Politburo Standing Committee, became the National People’s Congress chairman. Xi Jinping assumed the roles of secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and chairman of the Central Military Commission in November.