Li, 55, is not the senior-most nor the highest-graded among provincial party bosses of China. Yet he was given the task to talk to senior African officials on what Beijing means by building a harmonious society in China, and in particular, on his practical experiences in Jiangsu.
This honor is the strongest sign yet for the cadre tipped to become premier in 2013. Seven years sounds a long time, but in China, with its emphasis on planning, it’s the right time to work on a candidate list.
On paper, Li already has remarkable merits: he is one of the very few PhDs of his rank, a former vice minister of culture and a former secretary of the Communist Youth League, the power base of the current president of the state, Hu Jintao.
But there has been no lack of good omens over the past three years.