Beijing - If any of China's leaders is seen on global television more often than President Hu Jintao during the Olympics, it is likely to be Xi Jinping, the man seen as Hu's successor as Communist Party leader in 2012 and state president in 2013. Xi, 55, was handed the reins of coordinating the final Olympic preparations early this year. That move was seen as a test of his leadership qualities both within China and on the international stage, following his elevation in October to the elite nine-member Standing Committee of the party's Politburo. Xi's wife, the popular People's Liberation Army singer Peng Liyuan, was better known to ordinary Chinese until his elevation to the party's top echelon last year. Xi now heads a three-person lead group for the Olympics, aided by security specialist Zhou Yongkang and Liu Qi, who led...
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