The Fate of This One-Time Xi Heir May Signal China’s Direction
- Hu Chunhua’s next move watched during reshuffle in Beijing
- Will he succeed Premier Li Keqiang? Or get passed over again?
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In a parallel universe where Chinese President Xi Jinping hadn’t spent the past decade rewriting succession rules and sidelining rivals, Beijing might be counting down to the start of the Hu Chunhua era.
The vice premier was once the youngest person appointed to the Communist Party’s Politburo and positioned by his patron, the former leader Hu Jintao, as a leading candidate to succeed Xi. Instead, the question is whether “Little Hu” will get the ultimate consolation prize in Chinese politics: the post of premier.