Retired leader Li Peng seeks to show influence ahead of congress
Ex-premier and other retired leaders seek the limelight in pre-congress political jockeying
Former premier Li Peng has thrust himself into the public eye before next week's party congress by donating 3 million yuan (HK$3.7 million) to a scholarship for poor university students in Yanan, the Communist Party's old revolutionary base in Shaanxi.
The source of the money was the proceeds of books Li wrote in retirement, CCTV reported yesterday.
Li's public foray came just a few days after his successor, Zhu Rongji, and Vice-Premier Wang Qishan met the advisory board of Tsinghua University's business school last Wednesday. Zhu is the school's founding dean; Wang, a front runner for promotion to the Politburo Standing Committee, is an honorary board member.
Retired leaders traditionally stay out of the limelight, except on politically symbolic events such as National Day. But Li, Zhu and former president Jiang Zemin have re-emerged several times in recent months.
Analysts said the public appearances showed the retired leaders still wielded considerable power and wanted to influence decision-making before the party's 18th national congress, which will open on November 8.
Liu Kang, a professor of Asian and Middle Eastern studies at Duke University in the United States, said the latest publicity about Li could indicate the complexity and difficulty of the leadership transition and related policymaking decisions.
