CHINA:The man tipped to become China's next leader, Xi Jinping, has been strongly linked to a number of key roles within the Communist Party, including vice-chairman of the body that runs the army and a position as a troubleshooter for the Olympics in August.
Mr Xi (54) was elevated into the highest ranks of power within the party after a five-yearly congress in October and is in the frame to succeed president and party chief Hu Jintao in 2012.
The reports of Mr Xi's expanding political role came from the Hong Kong media, a regular source of insight into the secretive decision-making pro-cess in China. The Ming Pao newspaper said he would be appointed vice- chairman of the Central Military Commission, the elite Communist Party body that runs the People's Liberation Army.
He has also been placed in charge of organising security for the Olympics and assuaging international fears about air pollution during the event, the South China Morning Post reported, a move meant to show the world the games had the government's full attention ahead of the August 8th opening ceremony. He faces a difficult task and will have to deal with international criticism in the run-up to the Games, in particular for a clampdown on dissent.
Mr Xi is already a senior figure in the party, with responsibility for Hong Kong and Macau affairs, as well as being head of the Central Party School, where rising cadres are tutored in ideology.
He was one of the leaders who went on the road to raise morale during the blizzards of recent weeks and has been put in charge of preparations for the 30th anniversary of China's opening up and economic reform.
He is the son of a veteran revolutionary and guerrilla leader, one of the "princelings" of the party's political dynasties. He earned his stripes when he dealt with a smuggling scandal in the southern Fujian province and presided over strong growth in the eastern province of Zhejiang.
He took over as party boss in Shanghai last year after his predecessor Chen Liangyu was felled in a corruption scandal. His rise through the ranks of the party has mirrored that of Mr Hu's rise to pre-eminence, starting in 1992, followed a similar path and he held many of the same posts. President Hu became party chief in 2002 when Jiang Zemin resigned.