The re-election of Hu,who has established a personal rapport with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, could lead to closer Sino-India ties.
The National People’s Congress (NPC) – China’s Parliament – also sealed the appointment of Hu’s likely successor Xi Jinping, 54, as Vice President.
Amid protest
The confirmation of the top Chinese leadership for the next five years came as Tibetan capital Lhasa witnessed the fiercest pro-independence street protests in two decades, leading to rioting that left at least 10 people dead in the remote Himalayan region on Friday. 65-year-old Hu, who met Singh several times on the sidelines of international meetings in January this year when the Indian leader visited Beijing, has established good working relations with him as well as Sonia.
Sonia toured China last year as the guest of Hu, then also the General Secretary of the ruling Communist Party of China.
