Female Fujian party chief Sun Chunlan popular

Women hold up half the sky, as the traditional saying goes, but in Chinese politics they account for only a slice of it.

So when Sun Chunlan, former head of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, was appointed as Communist Party secretary of Fujian three years ago - only the third women to hold a provincial-level party-secretary position - observers hailed the decision as an affirmation that women would receive more promotions in the near future.

Local officials and academics said Sun proved herself more than qualified for the job thanks to her extensive connections, solid knowledge about Taiwanese enterprises and rich background in commerce that brought investment opportunities to the province.

"She is very well connected and on good terms with enterprises and Beijing," said Lin Qing, professor of economics at Fujian Normal University.

"She doesn't talk empty rhetoric and is very down-to-earth during meetings."

Another source in the provincial government said Fujian had not been developed to its full potential in the past several decades because it was geographically close to Taiwan. If war broke out with Taiwan, Fujian would turn into a battleground.

The province was heavily dependent on donations and investment from overseas Chinese with roots in Fujian. "Now the central government is expecting Sun, with her connections with state-owned enterprises, to attract more investment from such companies," the official said. "And Sun has lived up to those expectations."