Analysing the first 100 days of Xi Jinping

It's difficult to offer any judgments on a new leader just a little over three months into office, or even highlight any definite trends.

But new Communist Party general secretary Xi Jinping , who completed his first 100 days in power last Friday, has swiftly consolidated his hold on the ruling party and the military after the once-in-a-decade power transition in November.

He has impressed many by introducing a number of governance changes quickly and differentiating himself from his predecessors in terms of style.

With speeches favouring reform and a high-profile tour of southern China, where the mainland's economic reforms began, he has raised hopes of more liberal party rule. He has urged respect for China's often-ignored constitution, signalled limited judicial reform, taken action to arrest a dozen corrupt senior officials and launched a high-profile attack on official extravagance.

Xi also quickly established himself as a strong commander-in-chief after he assumed the chairmanship of the Central Military Commission at the party congress in November.

Within less than three months, he managed to inspect major military regions and visit the troops of all armed forces of the People's Liberation Army, including land, navy, air forces and strategic missile. Winning the trust of the 2.3 million-strong PLA, Xi wasted no time in assuring them through various speeches that strengthening the military is a centrepiece of his plans to rejuvenate the country.