Shanghai chief Yu Zhengsheng's well prepared to join party elite
Shanghai chief Yu Zhengsheng's political savvy, built up over many crises, stands him in good stead to join the upper echelon of the party
The 67-year-old Yu, one of the Politburo's most senior members, has developed good political judgment after enduring many political crises, including his survival during the Cultural Revolution despite his blue-blood background.
The September 1 edition of the party's political journal Qiushi, or Seeking Truth, published a long article by Yu on how Shanghai is on track to becoming a leading global metropolis under the guidelines of "scientific development", a party theory championed by President Hu Jintao .
Analysts say the timing of the article, a few weeks ahead of the autumn party congress, serves as a strong hint that Yu has all but secured a seat on the party's top decision-making body.
"Yu is a fairly open-minded leader who is willing to compromise with local officialdom when moving into a new environment," Hong Kong-based political commentator Ho Leong-leong said, citing differences in Yu's working style in Shandong , Hubei and Shanghai.
"Shanghai is a very different place, as the municipal government has been dominated by natives, and Yu, once an iron-fisted leader in Hubei, has become a more low-profile and easy-going party chief since becoming head of the city in late 2007," Ho said.