Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08CHENGDU251
2008-10-31 09:09:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Consulate Chengdu
Cable title:  

CHENGDU LEADERSHIP PORTRAITS AND THE PERILS OF POOR TIMING

Tags:  PGOV PINR CH 
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VZCZCXRO9872
RR RUEHGH RUEHVC
DE RUEHCN #0251/01 3050909
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 310909Z OCT 08
FM AMCONSUL CHENGDU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2979
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHINGTON DC
RUEHCN/AMCONSUL CHENGDU 3636
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CHENGDU 000251 

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EAP/CM AND INR

E.O. 12958: DECL: 25X1 -- HUMAN
TAGS: PGOV PINR CH
SUBJECT: CHENGDU LEADERSHIP PORTRAITS AND THE PERILS OF POOR TIMING

REF: A. 07 CHENGDU 30

B. 06 CHENGDU 1016

CHENGDU 00000251 001.2 OF 002


CLASSIFIED BY: James A. Boughner, Consul General, U.S. Consulate
General, Chengdu.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)



C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CHENGDU 000251

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EAP/CM AND INR

E.O. 12958: DECL: 25X1 -- HUMAN
TAGS: PGOV PINR CH
SUBJECT: CHENGDU LEADERSHIP PORTRAITS AND THE PERILS OF POOR TIMING

REF: A. 07 CHENGDU 30

B. 06 CHENGDU 1016

CHENGDU 00000251 001.2 OF 002


CLASSIFIED BY: James A. Boughner, Consul General, U.S. Consulate
General, Chengdu.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)




1. (C) Summary: On the margins of several high-level events
held in the Sichuan provincial capital of Chengdu during late
October, contacts shared their views about local political
leaders and how their careers are developing. There was wide
consensus that Chengdu Party Secretary Li Chuncheng's career is
in deep trouble after he incurred the wrath of Premier Wen
Jiabao for opening an overly lavish new city headquarters right
after the Sichuan earthquake. Although Deputy Provincial
Governor Huang and Chengdu Mayor Ge get good reviews for
competency, neither appears to qualify for rising star status.
End Summary.

Party Secretary Li: If you build it~..
--------------


2. (C) Chengdu's recent Trade and Investment Forum (presided
over by Deputy Premier Li Keqiang) and Earthquake Reconstruction
Conference (cosponsored by UNCTAD and the Ministry of Commerce)
presented numerous opportunities for informal discussions with
both longtime and new Congen contacts. Several well-connected
local businessmen confirmed to us that Chengdu Party Secretary
Li Chuncheng is in hot water vis-`-vis Beijing. Li, who has
served in his current position since 2003 and is widely viewed
as one of the principal forces behind Chengdu's building boom,
was very unlucky when it came to the timing for completing his
favorite project -- the city's new government headquarters. The
massive new complex, complete with "bird's nest style"
exteriors, occupies over 370,000 square meters and reportedly
cost over USD 176 million.


3. (C) Unfortunately for Li, city workers began moving into it
almost immediately following the May 12 Sichuan earthquake
thereby creating an image problem among local residents at a
time of grief and shock. What really hurt Li, as one contact
noted, was a visit by Premier Wen Jiabao to the new headquarters
after Wen had traveled to areas worst hit by the earthquake and
seen dead and injured being pulled from the rubble. The contact
described how Wen left the city headquarters in disgust having

spent less than three minutes in it. The contact commented it
was at least somewhat fortunate the Premier never actually made
it as far as Li's own luxurious office. Subsequently in
mid-July, after being ordered to do so by Beijing, Li held a
press conference in Chengdu in which he announced that those
workers who had already set up shop in the new complex would be
sent back to their old offices. The municipal headquarters
would be sold to private developers and the proceeds used for
earthquake rebuilding.


4. (C) According to one contact, although it does not appear Li
will be removed from his position, he is certainly not going to
get the promotion he believes to be long overdue. Li had hoped
to land a governorship, perhaps of a province in the northeast
where he hails from originally. The contact remarked, however,
as Li is already 52-years-old, it is too late for him to "come
back from the dead." While agreeing fully that Li's career has
been damaged, another contact reiterated the whole incident
really came down just to poor timing and it was a "stupid waste"
for Beijing to have ordered the new headquarters sold. The
contact stressed no business firm would try to take over the
complex because "it's just too big." He said none of the city
employees who had already started to work there have left and
speculated that after a couple of years or so, when things have
settled down, the headquarters will be declared impossible to
sell and be fully occupied by municipal departments.

Vice Governor Huang: Running a bit late
--------------


5. (C) Although presumably not a career damaging issue, Vice
Governor Huang Xiaoxiang's own "timing" was somewhat off at the
official opening of the Sichuan Trade and Investment Fair
Exhibition on the rainy morning of October 27. Given the
presence of Deputy Premier Li Keqiang and foreign VIPs (Prime
Ministers of Sri Lanka and Laos, Vietnamese Deputy Premier,
Philippine Vice President),security at the exhibition hall was
intense and vehicle traffic in the vicinity heavily controlled.
Anticipating a crunch, CG and US business executives got to the
hall very early to staff the exhibition's USA Pavilion. In
fact, we appeared to be the only foreign guests allowed in
before security really shut down the site. Through the front
entrance glass doors CG saw his British and Japanese
counterparts being kept outside in the rain.

CHENGDU 00000251 002.2 OF 002




6. (C) With the arrival of Deputy Premier Li's motorcade, the
crowds outside were pushed away and Li Keqiang strode into the
exhibition hall immediately followed by Sichuan Party Secretary
Liu Qibao and Governor Jiang Jufeng. The group made a beeline
for a photographic exhibit of Hu Jintao visiting earthquake
survivors. Not too long after, there was a noticeable commotion
out front and a very angry, red-faced, wet-looking Vice Governor
Huang ran past uniformed police to try to catch up with Deputy
Premier Li. The diminutive Huang grabbed a rather largish
plainclothes security officer, shouted "what's wrong with you,"
punched him in the back, and rushed around him to join the other
leaders.


7. (C) As one contact volunteered, Huang "really lost it."
Apparently, security officials inadvertently/unexpectedly had
cut off Huang's car from Li's motorcade. This made Huang, who
had been given the honor to explain the Hu Jintao photos to
Deputy Premier Li due to his close involvement in the specifics
of earthquake relief, both late and furious. Another contact
later noted Huang is generally respected, competent, and usually
even-tempered. He added, however, that Huang is already
fifty-two and probably does not have strong enough connections
to advance much further. The front page of the next day's
Sichuan "Huaxi Daily" had a good picture of Huang looking
composed as he escorted Deputy Premier Li through the exhibition.

Mayor Ge: Comfortable Already
--------------


8. (C) Sitting cheek-to-jowl with Mayor Ge Honglin (strictly
protect) at one of the many massive banquets held in Chengdu the
last week of October, CG asked Ge about local rumors he might be
moving on to Beijing. Ge, the former head of Baogang Steel in
Shanghai has been mayor in Chengdu for over five years, has a
good reputation for trying to be helpful to foreign investors,
and has apparently escaped blame for the new municipal
headquarters fiasco. He laughed and said, "that's the last
place I would want to go."


9. (C) Between toasts, Ge explained he really enjoys his work in
Chengdu and believes he is making a difference both with
earthquake rebuilding and trying to develop the city into a
major regional transportation hub. Service in Beijing would be
a "big headache" and sometimes it's better to be "away from the
center." After he retires from the government, the
fifty-two-year-old Ge said he would like to work as an advisor
to a business firm and spend lots of time traveling overseas.

Comments
--------------


10. (C) While they can be tedious and grow old quickly,
large-scale banquets and other public events sometimes provide
an opportunity for more spontaneous and open discussions with
interlocutors than formulaic official meetings. As Deputy
Governor Huang told CG at one of the recent banquets, after we
had both been asked to get up from the table for about the
fifteenth time to engage in individual toasting sessions, "you
don't always get to eat at banquets, but the conversation is
sometimes interesting and a lot of business can be done.
BOUGHNER