China's ruling Communist Party has confirmed vice-president Xi Jinping as the Communist Party leader and president for the next decade, the official Xinhua news agency says.
Mr Xi will replace President Hu Jintao, who has led China through 10 years of extraordinary growth, in March.
Millions of people around China were watching on television as Mr Xi addressed a news conference, saying China must continue to reform.
In his speech, Mr Xi said China must continue reforming and opening up.
He said the party faced many challenges, including corruption and being out of touch with the people.
Mr Xi was also named head of the party's Central Military Commission.
The other new members of the Politburo Standing Committee - the innermost circle of power in China's authoritarian government - include premier-in-waiting Li Keqiang and financial guru Wang Qishan, who will be in charge of fighting corruption.
The number of members has been reduced to seven from nine, as expected, which should help ease consensus-building as they tackle everything from growing social unrest to uncertainty in the domestic and global economy, Reuters reports.
North Korean-trained economist Zhang Dejiang is expected to head the largely rubber-stamp parliament, while Shanghai party boss Yu Zhengsheng is likely to head parliament's advisory body, according to the order in which their names were announced.
Tianjin party chief Zhang Gaoli and Liu Yunshan, a conservative who has kept domestic media on a tight leash, make up the rest of the group.
