Xi soaks up limelight on first day in charge of nation

When he finally showed up and led a cast of new communist leaders to the stage, newly elected party chief Xi Jinping wore a determined and confident look, smiling and waving.

The 59-year-old leader apparently enjoyed having the spotlight of the world's media trained upon him and appeared ready for the top party and military jobs.

His debut came just minutes after he was confirmed as the party leader - a role he takes over with immediate effect - and had obviously been carefully orchestrated to present him in the best possible light.

For many mainlanders watching Xi's first TV appearance after his ascent, the speech highlighted a huge difference in personality between Xi and Hu Jintao , the man he will replace as president in March.

While Hu has always appeared tense, even shy in front of the cameras, Xi clearly knew how to work his charm.

And although Xi's short speech yesterday was, as is the norm, packed with party rhetoric and clichés, his tone was a far cry from Hu's mechanical drone.