AP News, October 16th, 2007
Chinese leaders tipped for possible promotion at the Communist Party's 17th congress:
LI KEQIANG: Age 52. ... Head of the northeastern rustbelt province of Liaoning, widely considered the front-runner to succeed political mentor Hu Jintao as party boss in about five years. ... Was a law student at prestigious Peking University in the years immediately after the 1966-76 Cultural Revolution. ... Joined the Communist Youth League where he served on secretariat under Hu, then a rising star. Li became head of the league while earning a doctorate in economics, then was dispatched in 1998 to the troubled central province of Henan where he tussled with scandals, economic malaise and a rural AIDS crisis. ... Transferred to Liaoning in 2004. ... Credited with creating jobs for workers laid off from state industry, solving a housing crunch, and attracting foreign investment from firms such as Intel and BMW.
... Believed to have a strong chance of landing one of the nine seats on the Politburo Standing Committee.
XI JINPING: Age 54. ... Top official in financial powerhouse Shanghai who is also among the leading contenders for the future leadership. ... Son of a veteran revolutionary, Xi is seen as representative of the "princelings" within the party who owe their success in part to family connections. ... Dealt with the aftermath of China's largest smuggling scandal as head of the coastal province of Fujian and later encouraged business growth as leader of thriving Zhejiang province outside Shanghai. ... Assigned to take charge in Shanghai earlier this year in the wake of a corruption scandal that brought down his predecessor. ... A high-profile visit by Hu to Shanghai over this month's National Day holiday prompted speculation that Xi could be promoted all the way to the Politburo Standing Committee. ... Not closely identified with Hu's power base in the Communist Youth League but considered acceptable to most top leaders.
