When the man anointed to rule China for the next decade addressed his new subjects for the first time on November 15 his speech was refreshingly free of the stale political slogans favoured by outgoing Chinese president Hu Jintao.

In his booming, accentless Mandarin, Xi Jinping mentioned the word “socialism” only once and used a significant portion of his short address to criticise the Communist party he leads.

“Our party faces many severe challenges and there are many pressing problems within the party that need to be resolved,” Mr Xi told the nation in a live televised address. The new leadership must “effectively deal with the prominent issues within the party; earnestly improve the party’s work style and maintain close ties with the people”.