General Xu Caihou, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) and vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission of the People's Republic of China, General Fan Changlong, the newly appointed vice-chairman of the CMC, He Yong, deputy secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and Secretariat member of CPC Central Committee and Wang Huning, member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and director of Policy Research Office of the CPC Central Committee, attend the opening of the 18th Communist Party Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on 8 November, 2012. Vice President Xi Jinping had moved closer to taking the reins of power and is expected to replace President Hu Jintao as party chief in a once-a-decade power transition, setting the stage for his promotion to president of the world's most populous nation, expected by March 2013. AFP PHOTO / GOH CHAI HIN