A Snapshot of China's New Leaders

After months of heated speculation, China’s new leaders were unveiled to the world on Nov. 15 in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People. But despite all the anticipation, what path they will take—with China struggling to create a more sustainable growth model and less brittle political system—remains uncertain.

As expected, 59-year-old Xi Jinping got the top job as party secretary, and is first among equals, in China’s now seven-member Politburo Standing Committee. (It was reduced from nine members to streamline decision-making.) Xi, son of a reformist revolutionary, is believed to favor continuing to open up China’s economy. The new No. 2, English-speaking Li Keqiang, 57, with a law degree and a doctorate in economics from China’s elite Peking University, is also a likely proponent of more reform.