Article updated: 11/14/2012 9:17 AM

China’s Hu clears way for Xi to take party helm

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Xi Jinping, China's vice president, raises his hand during the closing session of the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2012. Xi and Vice Premier Li Keqiang were reappointed to the Chinese Communist Party's Central Committee, positioning them to take over the top two posts in the world's second-biggest economy.

Bloomberg News

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President Hu Jintao stepped aside as ruling party leader Wednesday to clear the way for Vice President Xi Jinping to take China's helm as part of only the second orderly transfer of power in 63 years of Communist rule.