Shanghai - The man who may soon become China's leader arrived in London yesterday at the beginning of a European tour which Western governments hope will make him less of a mystery.
Mr Hu Jintao, who is thought likely to succeed President Jiang Zemin as Communist party boss next year, heads the "fourth generation" of new, more liberal leaders poised to take over.
Some Chinese democrats abroad hope that Mr Hu, currently the vice-president, will shift power away from the Communist party towards the more broadly based national people's congress. Yet he rose to high office in Beijing after imposing martial law on Tibet and backing the suppression of the 1989 student democracy movement.