figure in the country and the front runner to take over as general secretary the coyness party garber melhem picks a look back at his life. brief. states . president of. the sixty one year old had been a public security. areas which had been the focus of criticism of the nation's human rights record. a crackdown on corruption. abroad. and the nation doesn't rely too heavily on any one superpower and exploits. he courted international leaders to iran and. maritime disputes with china in the south china sea and its long term concerns. territorial ambitions has seen it a little closer to the united states. billions of dollars worth of deals with u.s. president donald trump. a trade deal after the u.s. pulled out of the trans-pacific partnership military cooperation with washington had also been discussed on state visits by defense secretary james mattis the role the president is largely seen as ceremonial posting with same as a stepping stone to becoming the communist party chief and the nation's top. and we've had some very stormy weather across europe recently particularly in the northwest we