Xinhua spurs talk that rising star is son of ex-NPC chief Wu Bangguo
Nepotism claim seen in mention of Wu Lei's promotion as deputy director of commission
An unusual Xinhua report has sparked speculation that the state-run news agency has taken a subtle shot at the promotion of a man who could be the son of a powerful political figure.
The cryptic report led to online debate about whether Wu Lei, a 37-year-old official soon to be promoted to a deputy director of Shanghai's Economic and Information Technology Commission, could be the younger child of Wu Bangguo , who in March retired as head of the National People's Congress, the mainland's rubber-stamp legislature.
Wu Bangguo ranked second after former Communist Party general secretary Hu Jintao in the party hierarchy until November, when he stood down from the Politburo Standing Committee. Almost nothing is known about his family background.
Shanghai published a list of 10 imminent appointments in a public notice in the local Liberation Daily on Monday. The notice called on the public to report corruption before the officials assumed office.
A day later, Xinhua and People's Daily, a party mouthpiece, picked up the local notice and mentioned Wu Lei by name in their headlines. The unusual move led observers to assume that he was singled out to highlight nepotism.
People's Daily has since deleted the story from its website, but Xinhua still had a version online yesterday.