The change of China's leadership for a new term of five years was formally initiated by the national legislature, with a candidate list discussed by the presidium of the first session of the 12th National People's Congress (NPC) Tuesday afternoon.

Presided over by Zhang Dejiang, the presidium's executive chairman, the meeting made a decision that the list of candidates to the 12th NPC Standing Committee chairman, vice chairpersons, secretary-general and members, as well as president and vice president of the People's Republic of China and chairman of the Central Military Commission of the PRC, will be tabled by the presidium to NPC delegations for discussion and consultation.

The Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee recommended the candidates for state leaders to the session's presidium.

Entrusted by the CPC Central Committee, Liu Yunshan, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, made explanations to the presidium on the candidates for the state leadership positions.

"Electing and appointing leaders of the state for a new term is one of the major tasks for this session," Liu said. "The CPC Central Committee has placed great importance on recommending candidates for the state leadership positions, and has made an overall consideration when arranging the personnel changeover for the 18th CPC National Congress."

Besides strict political and professional qualifications, the CPC Central Committee has also considered whether the candidates would meet the requirements of the positions and improve the leadership's lineup, Liu said.

The CPC Central Committee has maintained that after some senior comrades retire, the state organs should be enriched by younger comrades in a bid to realize a smooth handover between generations, increase vitality of the leadership and better handle new situations and tasks, Liu said.

The candidates should include capable leading officials from various sectors, women and comrades from ethnic minority groups as well as representatives from specific fields, he said.

When deliberating on the list, the CPC Central Committee focused on a candidate's capability and integrity with more importance attached to the latter, Liu said.

Liu expressed respect to the old comrades who were not nominated this time due to their age, saying that "having contributed to the cause of the Party and the State, to the reform and opening up and to the socialist modernization drive, they are making new contributions this time in the leadership change."

Also on Tuesday, the presidium decided through voting to hand over the draft resolutions on the work report of 11th NPC Standing Committee, the work report of the Supreme People's Court and the work report of the Supreme People's Procuratorate to all delegations for deliberation.

The presidium also decided to table the draft resolution on the plan of institutional restructuring and functional transformation of the State Council to the delegations for deliberation.