The Leading Princelings

Vice President Xi Jinping is due to assume the supreme-leadership of China in one year. Many cited words such as confidence as their first impression, but it could be simply arrogance in disguise.

Other leading Princelings do not fare much better either.

Bo Xilai, the Governor of Chongqing Metropolitian, had been finding his way to the top by revitalizing the Great Cultural Revolution under his absolute reign of the Southeastern city. Thousands of people were persecuted and jailed without going through legal system, some executed despite national outcry. On February 6th, his henchman the police chief Mr. Wang Lijun walked in the US General Consulate in Chengdu seeking asylum protection from Bo himself. The move effectively marked the end of his political ambition.

General Liu Yuan, son of former President Liu Shaoqi who was persecuted to death in the Great Cultural Revolution, had an unusual hurdled path in his political ascending. It seemed the overwhelming national sympathy on his father's tragic political farewell was not enough to propel him at any level in the past 30 years. Liu had to be moved across the board each time to get a promotion. He had been the Governor of a Province, Commander of Paramilitary Troops, Party Boss of a university before being named a Lieutenant General in the Logistical Corp.

Liu made quite a few splashes in what used to be a quiet-on-the-surface pool of political affairs in Beijing one year before the once decade power transition. A deputy of his, Lieutenant General Gu Junsheng was removed from duty under fraud investigations, echoing his vows made last month to fight corruptions in the army. Liu also backed his advisers to make voice on state issues. For example, he ordered the Army to publish a book authored by his adviser Zhang Musheng.

As a matter of fact, both the outsider world, as well as people in China with opposing political views are having great expectations on the new leadership, partially because of the current core's seemingly weakness when facing interest groups.

Xi himself does not have a clean record:

• Xi divorced his wife, then married a young pop star Ms. Peng Liyuan;
• Xi was the Governor of Fujian Province when the 'largest smuggling scandal' broke out;
• Xi was the Governor of Zhejiang when the corruption of Leqing County took place, which ultimately led to public execution of a Village Head Qian Yunhui;
• Xi ordered to use a girl with better appearance to act in voice of another non-presentablegirl at the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic;
• Xi obtained a J.D. from Qinghua University without attending a single lecture in classroom nor writing a single line on paper;
• Xi interfered to sentence business woman Wu Ying to death so that some local officials in Zhejiang could take her fortune.

After a long waiting, The Princelings are ready to set off conquering the world, but are you ready for the manner it would be executed?