'Unfortunate Little Hu' Hu Chunhua Likely to Become Vice Chairman of China's CPPCC

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Kim Hyunjung] Hu Chunhua, the 'Little Hu' who failed to secure a seat on the Communist Party's highest authority, the Central Politburo, is expected to take the position of Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

According to the state-run Xinhua News Agency on the 18th, the 13th CPPCC National Committee Standing Committee finalized and announced the list of members for the 14th National Committee, totaling 2,172 members, including 99 members from the Communist Party of China, 65 from the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang, 65 from the China Democratic League, and 65 from the China Democratic National Construction Association, at the 25th meeting held the previous day.

Zhou Chunhua, Party Secretary of Guangdong Province, who attended the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, is lost in thought.
[Photo by EPA]

The list included Hu Chunhua, along with Wang Huning, who remained ranked 4th in the Politburo Standing Committee. Wang is expected to assume the position of CPPCC Chairman at the upcoming Two Sessions (Lianghui) in March, which comprise the National People's Congress and the CPPCC. Traditionally, the top-ranked member of the Communist Party Central Politburo Standing Committee becomes the State President, Chairman of the Central Military Commission, and Party General Secretary; the second-ranked becomes the Premier of the State Council; the third-ranked becomes the Chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee; and the fourth-ranked becomes the CPPCC Chairman.

Hu Chunhua, who was once considered a candidate for the Politburo Standing Committee but was not even elected as a Politburo member, is expected to take the position of CPPCC Vice Chairman. He is regarded as a leading figure of the Communist Youth League faction, following Hu Jintao and Li Keqiang. The Hong Kong South China Morning Post (SCMP) stated, "Hu Chunhua, a 'former leadership contender' who was excluded from the Politburo last October, will take a ceremonial role in March," adding that he "faithfully executed President Xi Jinping's poverty alleviation projects but was never considered part of the Xi Jinping core faction (Xi Jinping’s inner circle)."