Lacklustre performance at NPC suggests Chinese provincial party boss Hu Chunhua’s star is fading

Once tipped to join China's elite Politburo Standing Committee, Guangdong party boss Hu Chunhua's prospects no longer seem as rosy as observers find fault with his low-profile, ultra-subtle style of leadership.

At the National People's Congress in Beijing last week, the 51-year-old - dubbed Xiao Hu because of his Youth League leader background and similar career path with former president Hu Jintao - failed to impress.

At a panel meeting open to foreign media, Hu fielded just two questions.

Asked how the nationwide anti-corruption campaign was doing in Guangdong, he simply said: "Just like before, we will arrest any corrupt official we find."

Asked how Guangdong's economy could be improved, he said he hoped the province could serve more high-end industries.

His lacklustre responses left much to be desired.

Not so long ago, China watchers had viewed Hu as a strong candidate to win a seat in the Communist Party's supreme decision-making body in 2017.