Professor of Government Cheng Li was interviewed by the Agence France-Presse about which new Chinese leaders may emerge in this upcoming National People's Congress (NPC) annual meeting. Li said, "officials earmarked for top spots in the coming decade could suddenly see their careers take off during this year's National People's Congress (NPC)."
During China's parliament's annual meeting this week, it could help throw light on impending leadership changes in the Communist Party. Officials earmarked for top spots in the coming decade could suddenly see their careers take off during this year's National People's Congress (NPC), according to Li. "They may be promoted... to either vice premier or state councilor," said Li, who recently published a book on China's leaders. "I think the chance this will happen is about 50 percent." One man who could experience a stellar rise as the nearly 3,000 members of the NPC gather on Tuesday is Li Changchun, party boss in the southern province of Guangdong.
Li Changchun is up against tough competition, because the front-runner for that title is Wen Jiabao, a skilled vice premier with a human touch who is considered Zhu's own favored candidate. "Li Changchun needs to move to the central government before that time so that he will have administrative experience in the (Cabinet) before taking the post of premier or executive vice premier," said Hamilton College's Li.
