After the 16th CCP National Congress, Hu Jintao was selected as CCP general secretary, marking the start of the core leadership transition from Jiang Zemin to Hu.
Hu replaced Jiang Zemin as president of the People’s Republic of China at the National People’s Congress, consolidating the top state post alongside his party leadership.
Hu publicly introduced the development approach later branded the Scientific Outlook on Development, emphasizing a more comprehensive view of development during an inspection tour in Guangdong.
During the 2003 SARS outbreak, China’s leadership moved to end underreporting and improve coordination; WHO also reported new official case disclosures and leadership actions tied to transparency.
The 3rd Plenum of the 16th Central Committee adopted a decision on improving the socialist market economy system and became a key platform for Hu-era emphasis on more balanced, people-centered development.
Hu became chairman of the CCP Central Military Commission, further consolidating authority over the party’s top military body during the leadership transition period.
The 6th Plenum of the 16th Central Committee set out objectives and tasks for building a “socialist harmonious society,” linking social governance, equity, and public services with the Scientific Outlook on Development.
At the 17th Party Congress, the CCP amended its constitution to incorporate the Scientific Outlook on Development, elevating it as a central doctrinal guide of the Hu-era policy agenda.
Hu Jintao formally declared the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics open, a major international showcase for the PRC during his administration.
In response to the global financial crisis, the State Council announced a major stimulus plan centered on infrastructure and social spending, widely reported as totaling about 4 trillion yuan through 2010.
Large-scale unrest in Ürümqi (Xinjiang) became a major domestic security and ethnic-relations crisis during the Hu administration, driving intensified stability-maintenance measures.
Expo 2010 Shanghai opened as a high-profile global event highlighting urbanization and development policy themes; it ran from May through October 2010 and drew record attendance.
Following the 18th CCP National Congress, Xi Jinping was elected CCP general secretary and CCP Central Military Commission chairman, marking the end of Hu’s decade at the core of party leadership.
Hu Jintao's Administration and the 'Scientific Outlook on Development' (2002–2012)
