As of February 23, a total of 100 days have passed since the Communist Party of China (CPC) concluded its 18th National Congress, in which the party's next-generation of leadership was elected. Xi Jinping, who heads the new collective leadership, has impressed his colleagues and the public alike as an extremely capable politician, seeking to fulfil promises with relentless effort.

General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Xi Jinping (L1) and the other newly-elected members of the Standing Committee of the 18th CPC Central Committee Political Bureau meet with journalists at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 15, 2012. [China Daily]

Xi, the new General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee and Chairman of the CPC Central Military Commission, spoke with the press alongside six members of the CPC Central Committee, after the CPC's 18th National Congress' closing ceremony.

The public still remembers Xi's inaugural speech. In his first press conference as General Secretary, Xi Jinping, a man who once served as a grassroots party chief, mentioned "the people" almost 20 times, and "responsibility" more than 10 times. He quoted an old Chinese saying: "to forge iron, one must be strong" which the state-run Xinhua news agency later interpreted as "to address these problems, we must first of all conduct ourselves honorably."

Xi and his leadership team made multiple visits to grassroots-level organizations during the first 100 days in power. Their style of simplicity in drafting new polices and holding meetings have generated a great deal of public support.

100 days of New Deal

The press both at home and abroad called new leadership's series of actions as a "New Deal," while some went so far as to say "China blows the bulge of mobilization order."

The CPC's 18th National Congress oversaw a smooth transfer of centralized power. Issues like theoretical advancement, political routes, strategic deployments and staff appointments have all been deliberated to meet the goal of "building a moderately prosperous society in a full scale." At the end of the Congress, implementing policies and guidelines became a top priority.

In the following three months, Xi Jinping chaired the CPC Central Committee's Political Bureau meeting four times; he addressed the Political Bureau three times in their learning sessions. Fifteen days after he assumed the top post, Xi took the whole 7-member standing committee to visit the exhibition "The Road to Revival," during which he interpreted "revitalization of China," a comment that drew international attention.

On special occasions such as the 30 Years of Promulgation of Constitution, the Central Economic Work Conference, New Year celebration with non-party personages, and inspecting the armed police force, the new leadership discussed China's politics, economy, defense and diplomacy, clearly revealing to the public its idea of governance.

The new CPC leadership has also made great efforts to unite the public, and the General Secretary has already made three trips to outside provinces, including Guangdong, Hebei and Gansu.

A village party chief in poverty-stricken Fuping county, Hebei province recalled: "He [Xi Jinping] randomly visited houses in the village. His questions showed he paid earnest attention to our livelihoods."

Xi made it clear that the affluence in the rural parts of the country, especially those in poverty-stricken areas, is critical to building a well-off society.

Xi was also seen visiting HIV/AIDS patients, taxi drivers, and urban sanitary workers. AIDS patient Yang said: "The General Secretary stretched out his arm for a handshake, asking me whether the medication had caused any side effect. He encouraged me to carry on." In online communities such as microblogging or Weibo, Xi's fans have rapidly multiplied.

The new leadership has also been active in foreign affairs. Xi Jinping has met with guests from the United States, Russia, Japan and those from international organizations including the United Nations and the AU Commission.