For nearly two years after he was chosen in late 2002 as general secretary of the Communist party, the preferences and policies of Hu Jintao appeared somewhat indistinct from those of Jiang Zemin, his predecessor and rival.
But in September, Mr Hu took over Mr Jiang’s last influential position as head of the Central Military Commission, thus completing the first orderly transfer of power since the revolution in 1949. Since then Mr Jiang has largely disappeared from public view and, although Mr Hu remains secretive, some shafts of light are starting to illuminate his vision.
