It’s no secret among cadres in Jiangsu province that their Chinese Communist Party (CCP) secretary, Li Yuanchao, is the leading contender to be the next premier of China in 2013. It is equally no secret that some don’t share much pride in this.
Li, 55, has drawn mixed feelings among his fellow Jiangsu residents. On one hand, as one of the few allowed to preside over his hometown province, he has commanded kinship passion. Yet on the other hand he has also been rejected as a leader who sacrifices local interests to those of the central government.