Hu and Jiang fight it out in appointments to top posts
Shanghai (AsiaNews/Agencies) Tension is growing in a show of strength between Hu Jinato, Chinese president and his predecessor Jiang Zemin.
Jiang Mianheng, one of Jiang's sons, was recently nominated as head of Shanghai Academy of Sciences: he is already vice-president of the same institute in Beijing.
This amassing of posts is already an affront to Hu, who has been asking the party to deal a blow to the corruption and power of "little princes", the sons of powerful party members who practically inherit the most prestigious posts in political and economical sectors.
Jiang Mianheng is involved in industrial technology. He is co-founder of the Grace industry, which produces semiconductors for the whole world and a backer of the telecommunications company China Netcom.
He has already said the new post in the Academy will be a "great opportunity" to increase prosperity in Shanghai through technology. He said he wants to boost collaboration between Shanghai and the Academy of Sciences to create a "think-tank" for scientific development.
The nomination of his son is another point in Jiang Zemin's favour. Although he has quit all government responsibilities (he was president, secretary and head of the Military Comission), he still wields enormous power, being a reference point for the so-called "Shangahi faction" which holds most posts in the Politburo.
Many analysts say the litmus test of Hu's power and Jiang's influence will come in October at the Fifth Plenum of the Communist Party. Hu wants to replace
Chen Liangyu, secretary of the Shanghai branch and one of Jiang's men, with a woman, Liu Yandong, current vice-president of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. If Liu is promoted, she will be the first woman to occupy the post of party secretary in one of China's 31 provinces and municipalities.
Liu was already a candidate last year but Jiang Zemin blocked her rise.
Like all the Shanghai faction, Chen Lianyu, is very critical of Hu and premier Wen Jiabao because of their efforts to slow down the economy to avoid inflation and more social problems for the people.
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