In China's opaque politics, nothing is more intriguing than the perceived rivalry between Bo Xilai, the party secretary of Chongqing and Wang Yang, the party secretary of Guangdong, which has been subtly played out in the state media and boisterously discussed behind closed doors.
This is expected to continue until the autumn of 2012 when the Communist Party holds its 18th congress to elect the so-called fifth generation leadership, for which both Bo and Xi are strong contenders.
At first glance, Bo appears to have the upper hand.
Since June when he launched an unprecedented crackdown on the triads and corrupt officials in Chongqing, netting more than 2,000 suspects and several dozen senior municipal officials, police officers and judges, Bo has been hailed in state media and internet chat rooms as a leading corruption fighter. Left-leaning forces on the mainland see him as a national hero.
One apparent reason Wang has been dragged into this spectacle is because he was party secretary of Chongqing from 2005 to 2007 before Bo took over. Since Bo said he was forced to act because of the rampant lawlessness in the metropolis, this has naturally put Wang in a jam. During his rein there was little report of any significant threat from the violence of gangsters and their collusion with corrupt officials.
But many overseas analysts have seen the rivalry between Bo and Wang as the proxy fight between two political factions manoeuvring for advantages in the run-up to the 18th congress.