Newly elected President Xi Jinping (Creative Commons).

During Hu’s 10 years of presidency, he was responsible for opening China to the world as a trade and manufacturing powerhouse. He can be credited for securing billions of dollars in foreign investment that in turn has made China an ever-growing wealthy country. Hu also showed China off to the world during the 2008 Beijing Olympics whilst also hushing down ethnic uprisings in Xinjiang and Tibet, both very difficult tasks. Lastly, Hu fueled the building of increased transportation infrastructure with trans-provincial highways and the world’s longest high-speed rail network. 

These events are the biggest highlights in Hu's tenure. However, the repercussions of the events in the past 10 years could impact China today, and during its growing future. 

China is at a crucial stage in its development. To maintain it’s communist ideals while becoming more interconnected with the world through trade and education is the country’s biggest task. 

Every day more and more Chinese citizens protest against China’s censorships and firewalls, all with the hopes of creating greater government transparency. 

What has been monumental for China’s social change is the usage of the Internet in the past 10 years. 

As the Chinese become wealthier, more average citizens are able to purchase computers. With this comes greater education into what is actually occurring in the world, without the communist veil. Especially with domestic Chinese microblogging sites such as Weibo, it has contributed to the uprising of citizen journalism where most citizens are getting their unfiltered news. 

Weibo may not be solely credited for the need for social reform, but it is certainly a contributing factor along with increased liberal education, foreign influence, and western media in daily practice.

The economy is also at an important stage where the rich and middle class maintain steady growth, however, China’s labor and poorer classes have no room to grow. 

The past two decades of quick economic growth has steadily come to one of its slowest points. With the inequality in economic classes, the rising of housing costs and the continuation of corruption, economically, Xi has a lot to change in his term. 

In terms of foreign policy, China in the past three years has come close to multiple confrontations as it emerges as a global military superpower. China has disputed with India along the countries' borders, with the Philippines after the death of Chinese tourists in a Manila terrorist attack, with Hong Kong after constant resentment of China’s attempt at influencing Hong Kong and currently with Japan over the Diaoyu Islands. 

“China’s neighbors, including the U.S., should be prepared to see a Chinese government under Xi being more assertive than under Hu,” said Steve Tsang, director of the China Police Research Institute at the United Kingdom’s University of Nottingham. 

Xi certainly has a lot unfinished business to take care of after Hu’s terms. 

The main challenges for Xi's presidency are in regards to social change, economic reform and foreign policy.

It may take longer than 10 years to fix all these problems, however, Xi hailed himself as a more “assertive," "human" and “educated” leader to further push China to new ends. 

Read more of Neon Tommy's coverage on China here.

Reach Staff Reporter Joseph Krassenstein here.