Beijing ? China’s politically powerful vice president stepped down Sunday amid a reshuffling of the Communist Party leadership, removing from office a rival to President Hu Jintao.

Closing out a weeklong party congress, delegates selected a new Central Committee, a body that approves leadership positions and sets broad policy goals, with Vice President Zeng Qinghong not among those selected, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported.

Zeng’s absence means he cannot be in the Politburo or its Standing Committee, the powerful body that runs China, whose members the Central Committee will approve Monday.

Aside from Zeng, Xinhua said two other Standing Committee members also stepped aside, Wu Guanzheng, who has run the party’s internal corruption watchdog, and Luo Gan, who oversees law enforcement.